Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 54, Issue 4 , Pages 593-599 , October 2009

Emergency Department Charges for Evaluating Minimally Injured Alcohol-Impaired Drivers

Presented at the SAEM National Conference, May 2007, Washington, DC.

  • Michael H. Lee, MD, MS

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Emergency Medicine and Community Health, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Michael H. Lee, MD, MS, Department of Emergency Medicine, Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University, 593 Eddy St, Claverick 274, Providence, RI 02906; 401-444-6489, Fax 877-561-6291
    • ,
  • Michael J. Mello, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Emergency Medicine and Community Health, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI
    • ,
  • Steven Reinert, MS

      Affiliations

    • Lifespan Information Systems, Providence, RI

Received 25 November 2008 ,Revised 30 April 2009 ,Accepted 12 May 2009.

References 

  1. National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Annual Assessment 2006—Alcohol-Related Fatalities. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration; 2007;
  2. McCaig LF, Burt CW. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 emergency department summary. Adv Data. 2004;340:1–34
  3. Blincoe L, Seay A, Zaloshnja E, et al. The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2000. Washington, DC: US Dept of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 2002;
  4. Hoffman JR, Mower WR, Wolfson AB, et al. Validity of a set of clinical criteria to rule out injury to the cervical spine in patients with blunt trauma (National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study Group). N Engl J Med. 2000;343:94–99
  5. Jurkovich GJ, Rivara FP, Gurney JG, et al. Effects of alcohol intoxication on the initial assessment of trauma patients. Ann Emerg Med. 1992;21:704–708
  6. Gurney JG, Rivara FP, Mueller BA, et al. The effects of alcohol intoxication on the initial treatment and hospital course of patients with acute brain injury. J Trauma. 1992;33:709–713
  7. Mueller BA, Kenaston T, Grossman D, et al. Hospital charges to injured drinking drivers in Washington State: 1989-1993. Accid Anal Prev. 1998;30:597–605
  8. Ribbeck BM, Runge JW, Thomason MH, et al. Injury surveillance: a method for recording E codes for injured emergency department patients. Ann Emerg Med. 1992;21:37–40
  9. Williams RM. The costs of visits to emergency departments. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:642–646
  10. McCadams JS, Daley BJ, Enderson BL. Does alcohol intoxication alter the assessment and outcome of “observation-status” trauma patients?. Am Surg. 2001;67:1110–1112

 Provide feedback on this article at the journal's Web site, www.annemergmed.com.

 Supervising editors: Debra E. Houry, MD, MPH; David L. Schriger, MD, MPH

 Author contributions: MHL and MJM conceived this study. MHL and MJM obtained institutional review board approval for this study. SR supervised data collection and MHL conducted chart review. SR conducted all data analysis and provided statistical and technical advice. MHL drafted the article, and all authors contributed substantially to its revision. MHL takes responsibility for the paper as a whole.

 Funding and support: By Annals policy, all authors are required to disclose any and all commercial, financial, and other relationships in any way related to the subject of this article that might create any potential conflict of interest. The authors have stated that no such relationships exist. See the Manuscript Submission Agreement in this issue for examples of specific conflicts covered by this statement.

 Publication date: Available online July 3, 2009.

 Reprints not available from the authors.

PII: S0196-0644(09)00526-5

doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.05.018

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 54, Issue 4 , Pages 593-599 , October 2009

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