1. The continuing impact of home oxygen therapy for respiratory patients on a hospital budget.
- Author
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Crockett A, Moss J, and Alpers J
- Subjects
- Bed Occupancy, Budgets, Cost Allocation, Humans, Lung Diseases, Obstructive therapy, Oxygen Inhalation Therapy instrumentation, Patient Admission statistics & numerical data, Patient Admission trends, Program Evaluation, Respiratory Therapy Department, Hospital statistics & numerical data, South Australia, Home Care Services economics, Lung Diseases, Obstructive economics, Oxygen Inhalation Therapy economics, Respiratory Therapy Department, Hospital economics
- Abstract
Home oxygen therapy for chronic lung disease is a prominent example of an increasing tendency for the provision of adaptive medical technologies by tertiary-level hospital outreach. Flinders Medical Centre has carefully monitored its home oxygen service using cost-centre management. Despite strict prescription criteria and cost-saving technological advance, this budget remains under continued pressure. Demand from eligible patients is increasing, and their enhanced survival means that numbers accumulate over the years. Unfortunately, long-term community support does not fit easily into conventional hospital budgetting. Hospitals at present do not explicitly record the benefits nor bring to account the cost savings from maintaining patients in the community. Several intermediate improvements are suggested.
- Published
- 1992