Clinical and Nonclinical Predictors of the Cost of Coronary Bypass Surgery

Health care providers are being pressured to lower the cost of care. Because of the inherent cost variability in providing health care, as reimbursement falls, providers may not be able to cover all costs. Understanding the underlying causes of this wide variability is important in determining optimum pricing. Prior studies on the cost of coronary bypass surgery have determined which clinical variables affect cost, yet none have studied nonclinical variables that can influence the cost of coronary bypass surgery.