Background: Since 2004, inpatient health care for penetrating eye injuries in Germany had been paid according to the calculated DRG C01Z. Because the extent of treatment mainly derives from the extent of eye damage, this DRG economically summarises very heterogeneous cases. It was the aim to check the cost recovery for the surgical treatment of penetrating eye injuries at a university eye hospital.
Material and methods: Performance data for the DRG C01Z were collected for the years 2005 and 2006 using the E1 sheets according to section sign21 KHEntG. Costs for single operations were calculated from fixed and variable costs for the operating theatre and the ward, including costs for personnel and supplies.
Results: In the 2-year period, out of 4,721 inpatient procedures, 180 perforating eye injuries were surgically treated. In 80 cases, a pure corneal/scleral suture (plus cataract surgery, n=10; mean operating time 67.81 min) was performed. In the other 100 cases, a pars plana vitrectomy (ppV) with adjuvant measures (mean operating time 124.69 min) was needed. Each operation had fixed surgical costs of EUR 130.60; variable costs, including personnel and supplies, varied between EUR 570 for corneal/scleral suture (+/-EUR 250 for combined cataract surgery (n=10) and EUR 1230 (mean) for a ppV. Cost-effective additional adjuncts such as cerclage, perfluorocarbon, gas, silicone oil, or cataract surgery led to extra costs of between EUR 51 and EUR 250 per adjunct (mean EUR 182). At least two of these adjuncts were used in 50% of ppVs, and at least one was used in 90% of ppVs. Hospitalisation costs were about EUR 2184 (EUR 273 per day), with a mean stay of 8 days. The overall costs of an operation for penetrating eye injuries differed significantly in terms of the procedure (corneal/scleral suture: EUR 2662, mean length of stay 7.06 days; ppV: EUR 3712, mean length of stay 8.62 days). Additional costs for multiple surgeries, as occurred in 11.1% of all cases, were not compensated by the DRG system.
Conclusion: In consideration of a relative DRG weight of 1,177 and a base rate of EUR 2723.79 in Bavaria for 2005 and 2006, perforating eye injuries were compensated within the C01Z DRG at EUR 3205,96. Thus, for ppVs no costs are recovered, whereas "pure suture" procedures are overweighted. Due to this inhomogeneity, a split in the C01Z DRG is necessary.