Post-stroke language impairment adds thousands to medical costs
Stroke-related language impairment adds about $1,703 per patient to medical costs the first year after stroke, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers retrospectively examined the records of 3,200 South Carolina Medicare patients who had ischemic strokes in 2004 and found:
- Twelve percent (398 patients) had aphasia or language impairment.
- Medicare payments for those with aphasia averaged $20,734 per patient vs. $18,683 for those without it — an 8.5 percent increase.
- Aphasia patients were older and had more severe strokes.
- Aphasia patients stayed in healthcare facilities 6.5 percent longer and had higher rates of illness and death.
Annually, about 100,000 people who suffer a stroke will be left with language deficits due to aphasia.
Provided by
American Heart Association
Citation:
Post-stroke language impairment adds thousands to medical costs (2012, February 16)
retrieved 29 March 2024
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-post-stroke-language-impairment-thousands-medical.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.