Article

The aim of this study was to compare the cost of comprehensive
outpatient therapy (day rehabilitation) in individuals with malignant brain
tumors to those with stroke and traumatic brain injury.
DESIGN: This was a
prospective, nonrandomized, longitudinal study of 49 consecutive adults with
malignant brain tumors enrolled in the 6 day rehabilitation
sites of 1 institution over 35 months. The control group was composed of 50 patients with
brain injury and 50 patients with stroke, who were also enrolled in the day
rehabilitation program during the same period. A comparison was made of the total
Medicare cost and the cost per day of day rehabilitation in patients with
malignant brain tumors compared with the control group. RESULTS: The patients
with malignant brain tumors had lower total cost and cost per day than did the
combined traumatic brain injury and stroke group during day rehabilitation
(F2,143 = 3.056 [P = 0.05] and F2,142 = 5.046 [P = 0.008], respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: The cost of comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation in patients with
malignant brain tumors is less expensive than that of patients with traumatic
brain injury or stroke, which are neurological diagnoses commonly seen in day
rehabilitation. This study shows that cost should not be a barrier to providing
outpatient therapies to this patient population.

Langue : ANGLAIS