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Cost Of Medical Detoxification Among Drug And Alcohol Users In A Private Texas Hospital, Alberto Coustasse May 2013

Cost Of Medical Detoxification Among Drug And Alcohol Users In A Private Texas Hospital, Alberto Coustasse

Alberto Coustasse, DrPH, MD, MBA, MPH

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate the costs of medical detoxification among patients with alcohol and substance abuse disorders. Design/methodology/approach – The study data was drawn from a medical detoxification program in a community hospital in Texas. Secondary data analysis of 1337 cases from three years was reviewed. Age, gender, race, alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, sedatives, opioids, financial classification, cost, length of stay (LOS) and cost by LOS were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test. Findings – The sample comprised of 42.8 percent women and 57.2 percent males. The mean cost and cost by LOS …


Uncompensated Care Cost: A Pilot Study Using Hospitals In A Texas County, Alberto Coustasse, Andrea L. Lorden, Vishal Nemarugommula, Karan P. Singh May 2013

Uncompensated Care Cost: A Pilot Study Using Hospitals In A Texas County, Alberto Coustasse, Andrea L. Lorden, Vishal Nemarugommula, Karan P. Singh

Alberto Coustasse, DrPH, MD, MBA, MPH

The financial ramifications of uncompensated care cost (UCC) on the healthcare industry have been difficult to quantify. With the lack of a standardized definition of uncompensated care and the need to account for the uninsured, indigent, and immigrant populations, the authors identified $190 million of UCC from Southwestern border hospitals for emergency room treatment of undocumented immigrants and $934 million of uncompensated care charges for 23 hospitals in a Texas county, which translated to $353 million of UCC. Although lawmakers passed the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (2003) to address the growing imbalance, the shortfall of funds highlights …