Feasibility and validity of International Classification of Diseases based case mix indices
2006

Validity of ICD-Based Case Mix Indices

Sample size: 551 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Yang Che-Ming, Reinke William

Primary Institution: Taipei Medical University

Hypothesis

CMI derived from the ICD classification should correlate with the Medicare DRG CMI to a certain degree that justifies the application of ICD based CMIs.

Conclusion

An ICD-based CMI can fairly approximate the DRGCMI, especially the ICD principal diagnosis based costliness CMI.

Supporting Evidence

  • The best ICD-based substitute for the DRG costliness CMI is the ICD principal diagnosis costliness CMI.
  • Correlations between DRGCMI and ICDCMI-DC reached as high as 0.938 in the non-profit sector.
  • The study population included 551 hospitals, with 73.3% being private hospitals.

Takeaway

This study shows that we can use ICD codes to measure how sick patients are in hospitals, just like the DRG system does.

Methodology

The study analyzed 551 acute care hospitals in Taiwan using inpatient reimbursement claims data to derive and compare CMIs from ICD and DRG.

Potential Biases

Potential for intentional upcoding by hospitals to gain reimbursement advantages.

Limitations

The study relies on the accuracy of hospital coding, which may be subject to upcoding or insufficient training.

Participant Demographics

The study included 551 acute care hospitals in Taiwan, with a majority being private hospitals.

Statistical Information

P-Value

< 0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6963-6-125

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