Rigoberto I. Delgado

Cost Comparison of Baby Friendly and Non–Baby Friendly Hospitals in the United States

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to provide an economic assessment of the incremental costs associated with obtaining the World Health Organization and United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund designation as a Infant-Friendly hospital. We hypothesized that baby-friendly hospitals will have higher costs than similar non–baby-friendly hospitals. METHODS: Data from the 2007 American Hospital Association and the 2007 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Cost Reports were used to compare labor and delivery costs in baby-friendly and non–baby-friendly hospitals. Operational costs per delivery were calculated using a matched-pairs analysis of a sample of baby-friendly and non–baby-friendly hospitals in the United States. Costs associated with labor-and-delivery diagnosis–related codes were analyzed for each baby-friendly hospital and compared with the mean and median costs incurred by non–baby-friendly hospitals. RESULTS: Nursery plus labor-and-delivery costs for the baby-friendly sites were

Resource Utilization for Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage Transferred to a Comprehensive Stroke Center

2205 per delivery, compared with

Methodological issues for designing and conducting a multicenter, international clinical trial in Acute Stroke: Experience from ARTSS-2 trial

2170 for the non–baby-friendly matched pair. Baby-friendly facilities have slightly higher costs than non–baby-friendly facilities, ranging from 1.6% to 5%, but these costs were not statistically significant (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that becoming baby-friendly is relatively cost-neutral for a typical acute care hospital. Although the overall expense of providing baby-friendly hospital nursery services is greater than nursery service costs of non–baby-friendly hospitals, the cost difference was not statistically significant. Additional research is needed to compare the economic impact of maternal and infant health benefits from breastfeeding versus the incremental expenses of becoming a baby-friendly hospital.

Cost Analysis of PET and Comprehensive Lifestyle Modification for the Reversal of Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND As a comprehensive stroke center (CSC), we accept transfer patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in our region. CSC guidelines mandate receipt of patients with ICH for higher level of care. We determined resource utilization of patients accepted from outside hospitals compared with patients directly arriving to our center. METHODS From our stroke registry, we compared patients with primary ICH transferred to those directly arriving to our CSC from March 2011-March 2012. We compared the proportion of patients who utilized at least one of these resources: neurointensive care unit (NICU), neurosurgical intervention, or clinical trial enrollment. RESULTS Among the 362 patients, 210 (58%) were transfers. Transferred patients were older, had higher median Glasgow Coma Scale scores, and lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores than directly admitted patients. Transfers had smaller median ICH volumes (20.5 cc versus 15.2 cc; P = .04) and lower ICH scores (2.1 ± 1.4 versus 1.6 ± 1.3; P < .01). A smaller proportion of transfers utilized CSC-specific resources compared with direct admits (P = .02). Fewer transferred patients required neurosurgical intervention or were enrolled in trials. No significant difference was found in the proportion of patients who used NICU resources, although transferred patients had a significantly lower length of stay in the NICU. Average hospital stay costs were less for transferred patients than for direct admits. CONCLUSIONS Patients with ICH transferred to our CSC underwent fewer neurosurgical procedures and had a shorter stay in the NICU. These results were reflected in the lower per-patient costs in the transferred group. Our results raise the need to analyze cost-benefits and resource utilization of transferring patients with milder ICH.

A transition strategy for becoming a baby-friendly hospital: exploring the costs, benefits, and challenges.

BACKGROUND We describe innovations in the study design and the efficient data coordination of a randomized multicenter trial of Argatroban in Combination with Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Acute Stroke (ARTSS-2). METHODS ARTSS-2 is a 3-arm, multisite/multiregional randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of two doses of Argatroban injection (low, high) in combination with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in acute ischemic stroke patients and rt-PA alone. We developed a covariate adaptive randomization program that balanced the study arms with respect to study site as well as hemorrhage after thrombolysis (HAT) score and presence of distal internal carotid artery occlusion (DICAO). We used simulation studies to validate performance of the randomization program before making any adaptations during the trial. For the first 90 patients enrolled in ARTSS-2, we evaluated performance of our randomization program using chi-square tests of homogeneity or extended Fishers exact test. We also designed a four-step partly Bayesian safety stopping rule for low and high dose Argatroban arms. RESULTS Homogeneity of the study arms was confirmed with respect to distribution of study site (UK sites vs. US sites, P=0.98), HAT score (0-2 vs. 3-5, P=1.0), and DICAO (N/A vs. No vs. Yes, P=0.97). Our stopping thresholds for safety of low and high dose Argatroban were not crossed. Despite challenges, data quality was assured. CONCLUSIONS We recommend adaptive designs for randomization and Bayesian safety stopping rules for multisite Phase I/II RCTs for maintaining additional flexibility. Efficient data coordination could lead to improved data quality.

Strategic performance evaluation in cancer centers.

We present a preliminary cost analysis of a combination intervention using PET and comprehensive lifestyle modification to reverse atherosclerosis. With a sensitivity of 92%–95% and specificity of 85%–95%, PET is an essential tool for high-precision diagnosis of coronary artery disease, accurately guiding optimal treatment for both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. PET imaging provides a powerful visual and educational aid for helping patients identify and adopt appropriate treatments. However, little is known about the operational cost of using the technology for this purpose. Methods: The analysis was done in the context of the Century Health Study for Cardiovascular Medicine (Century Trial), a 1,300-patient, randomized study combining PET imaging with lifestyle changes. Our methodology included a microcosting and time study focusing on estimating average direct and indirect costs. Results: The total cost of the Century Trial in present-value terms is

A microcosting study of establishing a baby café® in texas

9.2 million, which is equal to

Economic methods in the century trial--a comprehensive lifestyle modification study for managing coronary artery disease.

7,058 per patient. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the present value of total costs is likely to range between

Price Transparency and Healthcare Cost: An Evaluation of Commercial Price Variation for Obstetrical Services

8.8 and

The Effect of the Texas Medicaid Waiver Design and Implementation on Regional Changes in Uncompensated Care: Part 2

9.7 million, which is equivalent to