The actual study:
http://www.asri.edu/agh/news/index.cfm?zeus=5B07&hera=5D0652
AGH Study Shows Firearm Injuries Place Significant Economic Burden on American Hospitals
Injuries Rank Highest in Number and Length of Uninsured Hospital Stays
January 02, 2003: Each year more than 35,000 Americans are admitted to U.S. hospitals as the result of firearm related injuries, the cost of treating whom, in hospital charges alone, totals more than $800 million, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by researchers from Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
A first of its kind report, the study also shows that 29 percent of firearm victims have no health insurance to pay for their care, the financial burden of which falls largely on the shoulders of urban teaching hospitals.
Jeffrey Coben, M.D., an emergency medicine specialist and director of AGH's Center for Violence and Injury Control, conducted the study to illustrate the significant economic burden such injuries place on hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide. Claudia Steiner, M.D., MPH, a research scientist for AHRQ, served as the article's co-author.
Data for Drs. Coben and Steiner's analysis was obtained from the government's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), maintained by the AHRQ. The information is derived from 1997 hospital discharge summaries and abstracts, created by hospitals primarily for billing and payment purposes. The hospital discharge summary contains patient demographic information, condition status, medical and/or surgical procedures received, and other factors about a hospital stay. Hospitals in many states provide discharge summaries to the state government, a hospital association, or some other designated health information organization.
Coben and Steiner found that an estimated 35,810 cases of firearm-related injury occurred nationwide in 1997. Of those, assault was the leading cause of firearm-related hospitalization, followed by unintentional injury. The average length of stay for patients with firearm-related injuries was 6 days, with an estimated total of 111,506 hospital days for firearm assault cases and 214,372 hospital days for all firearm-related cases. The average hospital charge for an assault related firearm case was $23,904, while the average charge associated with self-inflicted injury was $30,201. Forty-nine percent of the estimated $2.3 billion in lifetime medical costs for victims of firearm injuries was expected to be paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
"With the vast majority of firearm related injuries being treated at urban teaching hospitals and academic medical centers, such institutions incur a disproportionate associated economic burden. Firearm-related injuries rank highest among all conditions in the number of uninsured hospital stays, and the average length of stay is much longer compared with other medical conditions. The further development of firearm-related injury surveillance systems is vital in order to provide objective and nonpartisan information for future policy decisions that address this major public health issue," said Dr. Coben, who conducted the firearm study while serving as a Senior Scholar-in-Residence for Domestic Violence within AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research.
"The cost of death and injury resulting from gun violence is tremendous not only in terms of medical expenses, but in terms of lives lost, time away from work, and its effect on families and communities," said Aurelio Rodriquez, M.D., Director, AGH's Level One Shock Trauma Center. Dr. Rodriquez said the typically severe nature of firearm injuries requires substantial medical expertise and resources.
Study data revealed that approximately one thousand small bowel resections were required in 1997 as a result of firearm-related injuries in addition to 2,500 intracranial injuries and another 669 spinal cord injuries. Among the study's other findings:
* 86 percent of firearm-related injury cases were male.
* Assault accounted for 54% of cases, unintentional injuries accounted for 31% and self-inflicted injuries accounted for 8%.
* Seven percent of all firearm related cases died during hospitalization, compared to a 2.5% in-hospital death rate for all medical conditions.
* Approximately 60 percent of those sustaining firearm injuries were younger than 30 years of age.
* Firearm-related hospitalizations occurred most often on Saturdays and Sundays.
* The type of firearm most commonly implicated was a handgun, followed by shotgun and rifle.
"Firearm-related injuries are a significant public health problem in the United States. In 1997, gunshots resulted in 32,436 fatalities and over 6,400 nonfatal injuries requiring treatment in U.S. hospital emergency departments. Firearm-related injuries rank as the second leading cause of injury death behind motor vehicles and in many communities violence is the leading cause of death among young people. There have been, in general, relatively few assessments of the economic cost of such violence," Coben said.
Established in 1997, the Center for Violence and Injury Control (CVIC) serves as an interdisciplinary program that works to conserve health in communities by reducing the frequency and consequences of violence and unintentional injuries. CVIC conducts research on the leading causes of injury, including youth violence, motor vehicle-related injuries, domestic violence injuries, and injuries related to recreation activities such as biking and skateboarding.
Source: Allegheny General Hospital
[b]Primary Contact Information
Name: Dan Laurent
Phone: 412-359-8602
Company: Allegheny General Hospital
E-Mail:
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