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Predictors for total medical costs for acute hemorrhagic stroke patients transferred to the rehabilitation ward at a regional hospital in Taiwan

Background: One-third of the acute stroke patients in Taiwan receive rehabilitation. It is imperative for clinicians who care for acute stroke patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation to identify which medical factors could be the predictors of the total medical costs. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the most important predictors of the total medical costs for first-time hemorrhagic stroke patients transferred to inpatient rehabilitation using a retrospective design. Methods: All data were retrospectively collected from July 2002 to June 2012 from a regional hospital in Taiwan. A stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify the most important predictors for the total medical costs. Results: The medical records of 237 patients (137 males and 100 females) were reviewed. The mean total medical cost per patient was United States dollar (USD) 5939.5 ± 3578.5.The following were the significant predictors for the total medical costs: impaired consciousness [coefficient (B), 1075.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 138.5–2012.9], dysphagia [coefficient (B), 1025.8; 95% CI = 193.9–1857.8], number of surgeries [coefficient (B), 796.4; 95% CI = 316.0–1276.7], pneumonia in the neurosurgery ward [coefficient (B), 2330.1; 95% CI = 1339.5–3320.7], symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) in the rehabilitation ward [coefficient (B), 1138.7; 95% CI = 221.6–2055.7], and rehabilitation ward stay [coefficient (B), 64.9; 95% CI = 31.2–98.7] (R2 = 0.387). Conclusions: Our findings could help clinicians to understand that cost reduction may be achieved by minimizing complications (pneumonia and UTI) in these patients.