Resource management in New Zealand hospitals: the RUS (resource utilization system) system--an illustration of its applications

This study demonstrates a potential application in the planning and policy area of a resource management system (known as the Resource Utilisation System (RUS)) first introduced into New Zealand in 1987 and now becoming the definitive resource management tool in the New Zealand public hospital sector. A retrospective cohort of 193 individuals (mean age 60.2 years, 73% males) admitted to Dunedin Public hospital with their first acute myocardial infarction in 1978 was followed through for 10 years in order to describe their inpatient resource utilisation as well as their morbidity and mortality experience. The cumulative mortality for the group over 10 years was 57%. The potential years of life lost (PYLL) amounted to 1340 years, or 6.9 years per person. The overall inpatient resource utilisation amounted to $2,317,300 for the whole group, or $12,006 per person (1988 NZ dollars) over the 10 years follow-up.