Trauma and aging effects on hospital costs and length of stay.

Two hundred eleven consecutive admissions entered into the trauma registry of an inner-city hospital over a six-month period were studied. Length of stay, age, mechanism of injury, trauma score, gross financial charges, daily charges, and reimbursement rates were analyzed by linear multiple regression. Length of stay and gross financial charges were found to be significantly associated with age and trauma score. Daily charges were associated with length of stay and trauma score. Reimbursement rates were inversely associated with age and length of stay. The elderly make up a significant proportion of trauma victims and the cost of their care is higher than for younger patients. Because reimbursement for this age group is based largely on diagnosis-related groups, which pay only fixed costs, trauma centers must analyze the potential economic impact of older trauma victims.