Should money follow the patient: Financial implication for being the National Centre for the Treatment and Management of Pelvic and Acetabular Fractures in Ireland.

Background: Pelvic and acetabular fractures are complex injuries requiring specialist treatment. Our institution is the National Centre for Treatment and Management of these injuries.

Aim: To audit all referrals to our institution over a 6-month period and calculate the cost incurred by being the national referral centre.

Methods: Retrospective review of database, and subsequent allocation of Casemix points to assess total cost of treatment for each patient referred to our institution.

Results: 103 patients referred with pelvic or acetabular fracture for operative management. The furthest referral distance was 181miles. Over-all, the length of stay was 15.4 days. The average inclusive cost for a referral to our unit for operative management was €16,302.

Conclusion: Pelvic and acetabular fractures are complex injuries that require specialist referral unit management. However for these units to remain sustainable money needs to "follow the patient".