Researchers examined 81 consecutive patients, 55 of which underwent CLP and 26 that underwent CLF. They analyzed 10,682 individual costs and charges for patients with hospital data and used Current Procedural Terminology codes to estimate physician fees not accounted for in hospital billing records.
They found the average length of stay much shorter for CLP patients, at 3.7 days, compared to 5.9 days for CLF patients. Average total cost for CLP patients was $17,734 compared with $37,413 for CLF patients.
Average charges for CLP were 42 percent of that for CLF. Average individual costs for CLP was half of that for CLF, which were recorded as $15,426 and $32,125 respectively. The main contributors to these costs were implants, with an average price of $2,582.
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