Should money follow the patient: Financial implication for being the National Centre for the Treatment and Management of Pelvic and Acetabular Fractures in Ireland

Background

Pelvic and acetabular fractures are complex injuries requiring specialist treatment. Our institution is the National Centre for Treatment and Management of these injuries.

Aim

To audit all referrals to our institution over a 6-month period and calculate the cost incurred by being the national referral centre.

Methods

Retrospective review of database, and subsequent allocation of Casemix points to assess total cost of treatment for each patient referred to our institution.

Results

103 patients referred with pelvic or acetabular fracture for operative management. The furthest referral distance was 181 miles. Over-all, the length of stay was 15.4 days. The average inclusive cost for a referral to our unit for operative management was €16,302.

Conclusion

Pelvic and acetabular fractures are complex injuries that require specialist referral unit management. However for these units to remain sustainable money needs to “follow the patient”.