Time to send the preemie home? Additional maturity at discharge and subsequent health care costs and outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine whether longer stays of premature infants allowing for increased physical maturity result in subsequent postdischarge cost savings that help counterbalance increased inpatient costs.

Data sources

One thousand four hundred and two premature infants born in the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program between 1998 and 2002.

Study design/methods

Using multivariate matching with a time-dependent propensity score we matched 701 "Early" babies to 701 "Late" babies (developmentally similar at the time the earlier baby was sent home but who were discharged on average 3 days later) and assessed subsequent costs and clinical outcomes.

Principal findings

Late babies accrued inpatient costs after the Early baby was already home, yet

SUBMITTER: Silber JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2677048 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature