IMPACT OF TRANSCUTANEOUS OXYGEN MONITORING (TCOM) ON QUALITY AND COST OF NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE

Abstract

Technological advances in health care equipment have parallel effects on quality and cost of patient care. We studied the impact of TCOM on patient care and patient costs in our ICN over a 5 year period (1978-1982). The number of patient days (PD), blood gases (BG), and hours of TCOM were ascertained for each year, and used to derive yearly cost data for BG analysis and TCOM, and to estimate BG cost had TCOM not been available (using BG/PD for 1978, cost of $45.25/BG, and cost of $4.25/TCOM hr.).The table shows a substantial fall in BG/PD concomitant with the increase in TCOM/PD. Based on estimates of BG costs if TCOM had not been available, costs of patient care fell by almost 200,000 by the fourth year (1982) of TCOM. Excluding capital expenditures for BG and TCOM equipment, hospital costs during implementation of TCOM fell by a net $6240. We conclude that TCOM offers the potential for (1)better patient management with fewer invasive procedures, (2)lower patient costs, (3)no significant increase in hospital expenditures.