Treatment for Snake Bites can be Very Expensive for Patients and Hospitals: Study
Treating victims of snake bite can be heavy on the pockets of family members and hospitals, according to a study.
Snake bites from copperheads, timber rattle snakes and African snakes are fatal and can only be treated with the help of anti-venom drugs. A recent study found anti-venom treatments not only drain out poison from patients' body but also the money of family members and healthcare providers. In the U.S. during 2011, almost 6,600 people were admitted to trauma and emergency departments for snake bites and exposure to venom, suggests the reports by the American Association of Poison Center.
Majority of these victims were aged less than 20 and treated in hospitals as outpatients. Snake-bite victims are also less likely to receive financial support and coverage from insurance providers to fund their treatments and inevitably end up shelling out money from their own pockets.
The experts at the Poison Control Center used health records of 2,755 children and teens who received treatments in 33 pediatric hospitals for snake bite and venom exposure in 2009. The study identified 107 patients who were given anti-venom treatment for enduring serious venomous reactions. This group of patients belonged to the 335 who were hospitalized, of whom 211 were admitted as inpatients and 124 as 'outpatients'.
The results revealed only 24 of those with 'observation status' or as outpatients had all their treatment charges and expenses covered by insurance. Almost 84 of inpatients incurred about $ 20,502 as average medical cost for two days of hospitalization. Hospitals on the other hand also received fewer reimbursements for treating patients with observation status.
"Snake bites can be life-threatening, and the most appropriate treatment may be an expensive endeavor. Our analysis tells us that it may be time to re-evaluate a billing system that often doesn't reflect the resources committed to treating these patients," said Evan Fieldston, study author and health services researcher at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Policy Lab, in a news release.
"Given the financial consequences for both patients and hospitals when anti-venom treatment is provided under observation status, we suggest that observation status may not be an appropriate classification for this group of patients. I do not think that a patient who was treated with anti-venom for a potentially fatal snake bite and hospitalized for ongoing evaluation and management meets the spirit criteria that CMS specifies for observation status," he adds.
More information is available online in the journal Hospital Pediatrics.
