Casemix and affective disorders: a comparison of private and public psychiatric systems

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a difference in length of stay for patients with affective disorders between private and public psychiatric hospitals. METHOD: The casemix Australian national diagnosis-related group (AN-DRG) diagnoses of all inpatient separations from private and public psychiatric hospitals in South Australia for 1 year were abstracted from records. The average length of stay for patients with affective disorders was calculated. Results: There was no significant difference in the average length of stay for patients with affective disorders treated in private and public psychiatric hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: These results should allay fears that the treatment of patients with affective disorders in any particular treatment setting will be compromised by the introduction of casemix.