The effect of time to amputation on medical costs accrued during the first twelve months after injury—A California workers’ compensation claims study

Abstract

Background: This study investigated whether the time to amputation (TtoA) after a work-related injury had a significant effect on the medical costs accrued in the first year after injury. Data source: Six thousand nine hundred fifty-three person-level workers' compensation claims data from the state of California, USA, from 2007 to 2018. Methods: Multiple quantile regression was used to assess the impact of TtoA on medical costs accrued during the first 12 months after injury. Three time intervals for TtoA were investigated: immediate (0, 1 days), short-delay (2-31 days), and long-delay (.31 days). Results: The median (interquartile range) medical dollars paid per claim during the first 12 months for the study population was $12,414