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Factors associated with VHA costs of care for first 12 months after first stroke

Jeanne Hayes, PhD, et al.

Figure. Median inpatient, outpatient, and total cost sums by Stroke ImpactScale (SIS) physical deciles 3 months poststroke, with calculated trend (regression) lines.

This article explores the use and costs associated with care delivered to veterans who have had a stroke. We examined all hospital and outpatient costs that occurred in the 12 months after each patient's first stroke. As expected, we found that costs varied depending on the patient's stroke severity, health status, discharge location, and number of additional diseases. These results demonstrate that the cost data used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are fairly accurate. In addition, median patient costs varied by VA hospital, suggesting that further study is needed to determine the factors involved in these different hospital-specific costs.


Volume 45 Number 9, 2008
   Pages 1375 — 1384

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