NCJ Number
178700
Journal
JAMA Volume: 282 Issue: 5 Dated: August 4, 1999 Pages: 447-454
Date Published
1999
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study develops reliable estimates of the medical costs of treating gunshot injuries in the United States and presents national estimates for the sources of payment for treating these injuries.
Abstract
The cost of treating gunshot injuries imposes a financial burden on society. Estimates of such costs are relevant to the evaluation of gun violence reduction programs and may help guide reimbursement policies. The cost analysis uses E-coded discharge data from hospitals in Maryland for 1994-1995 and New York for 1994 and from emergency departments in South Carolina for 1997. Other sources of data include the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for 1994 incidence of nonfatal gun injuries, the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center database for 1988-1992 estimates of lifetime medical costs of gun injuries, and the 1994 Vital Statistics census for incidence of fatal gun injuries. The main outcome measures are estimated national acute- care and follow-up treatment costs, as well as payment sources for gunshot injuries. Findings show that at a mean medical cost per injury of approximately $17,000, the 134,445 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 109,465-159,425) gunshot injuries in the United States in 1994 produced $2.3 billion (95 percent CI, $2.1 billion-$2.5 billion) in lifetime medical costs (in 1994 dollars, using a 3-percent real discount rate), of which $1.1 billion (49 percent) was paid by U.S. taxpayers. Gunshot injuries due to assaults accounted for 74 percent of total costs. 6 tables and 31 references