Do DRG payments adequately reimburse the costs of trauma care in geriatric patients?

The records of 82 consecutive trauma patients over age 65 years were reviewed to determine the costs of trauma care as well as the projected DRG reimbursement in the seriously injured elderly. During the period of study, 636 additional trauma patients under the age of 65 were admitted. For all trauma victims, hospital costs exceeded projected reimbursement by $2.55 million ($98,000 per month). In the elderly population, mean hospital costs dramatically exceeded mean projected reimbursement in patients over the age of 80 ($18,197 +/- 3,682 vs. $7,069 +/- 700; p less than 0.001), in patients with severe overall injury ($18,992 +/- 3,540 vs. $8,508 +/- 643; p less than 0.001), and in patients with more than one complication ($25,504 +/- 3,959 vs. $7,247 +/- 626; p less than 0.001). Hospital costs were also increased in elderly patients discharged to a nursing home ($22,811 +/- 3,664) primarily as a result of prolonged hospital stay in older patients with more severe injury and with more frequent complications. The daily cost for trauma care in elderly patients who died was a staggering $1,735 +/- 366, reflecting the aggressive care given these patients. In the elderly trauma population, the number of complications was the only factor that correlated with hospital costs (r = 0.63; p less than 0.001). There was no significant correlation between hospital costs and projected DRG reimbursement, suggesting that the current DRG system is a very poor predictor of actual costs for trauma care in this population. The data suggest that the present DRG system grossly underestimates hospital costs in patients more than 65 years old with severe injury and with complications.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)