WISQARS™ Cost of Injury Reports Help Menu
2.4 Report Options
The options in this section determine whether cost estimates are based entirely on system-provided data (the default) or alternatively based on a combination of system-provided and user-provided data. Under this alternative approach, final cost estimates are generated by multiplying system-generated average (per case) cost estimates by user-entered injury case counts.
When switching from the default method (the first radio button) to the alternate method (the second radio button) a row of pull-down menus will be dynamically displayed. The menu selections determine the year or range of years for which injury case counts are to be hand-entered, and also the year(s) to which the cost estimates are to be indexed (inflated/deflated):
Start Year
The year selected from this pull-down menu indicates the first year for which injury case counts are to be entered.
End Year
The year selected from this pull-down menu indicates the last year for which injury case counts are to be entered. The end year may be the same as the start year.
Index Costs To
The entry selected from this pull-down menu will determine how the cost estimates will be inflated or deflated. By selecting one specific year, cost estimates for all years from start year through end year will be inflated or deflated to represent prevailing costs for the single indicated year (Table 1 shows the index values used to calculate the annual inflation / deflation factors for medical and work loss costs). For example, suppose that the start year is 2007 and the end year is 2011, and that costs are to be indexed to 2011. The system-generated average costs for each year from 2007 through 2011 will initially be determined in terms of base year prices (2010 is the current base year) and then inflated to represent year 2011 prices. The inflation factor for medical costs would be the ratio of the year 2011 medical cost index value and the year 2010 medical cost index value (104.736 / 102.610 ≈ 1.021). The inflation factor for work loss costs would be the ratio of the year 2011 work loss cost index value and the year 2010 work loss cost index value (115.5 / 113.2 ≈ 1.020). The system-generated average costs (inflated) will then be multiplied by the corresponding case counts that you enter, resulting in total cost estimates expressed in 2011 prices.
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Table 1. Medical and Work Loss Cost Index Values Used to Determine Annual Inflators / Deflators |
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| Year | Medical Cost Index | Work Loss Cost Index |
| 1999 | 73.579 | 80.2 |
| 2000 | 75.733 | 83.6 |
| 2001 | 78.396 | 87.1 |
| 2002 | 80.574 | 90.0 |
| 2003 | 83.443 | 93.5 |
| 2004 | 86.371 | 97.0 |
| 2005 | 89.050 | 100.0 |
| 2006 | 91.864 | 103.3 |
| 2007 | 94.869 | 106.7 |
| 2008 | 97.321 | 109.5 |
| 2009 | 100.000 | 111.0 |
| 2010 | 102.610 | 113.2 |
| 2011 | 104.736 | 115.5 |
| 2012 | 106.837 | 117.7 |
| 2013 | 108.187 | 120.0 |
The medical cost index entries were drawn from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Table 2.5.4, Price Indexes for Personal Consumption Expenditures by Function (Health)4. The work loss cost index entries for 1999-2000 were drawn from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report Employment Cost Index, Historical Listing – Volume V, Table 4 (All Workers)5 and the work loss cost index entries for 2001-2013 were drawn from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report Employment Cost Index, Historical Listing – Volume III, Table 4 (All Workers)6.
As an alternative to specifying a single index year when generating cost estimates covering a range of years, estimates for each individual year in the specified range can be indexed to that same year by selecting data year in the index costs to pull-down menu. The resulting multi-year total cost estimates will be the sum of single-year estimates indexed to different years, and may thus be more closely representative of certain types of costs (e.g., medical costs) at the time that they were actually incurred.
After the desired selections have been made from the three pull-down menus described above, the screen into which case counts are to be entered will be custom-generated based on the indicated start year and end year, along with any other stratification variables selected from the pull-down menus in the output group / report layout options section of the application interface (see Section 2.8). The custom data entry screen is generated by clicking on the enter case counts button. Generally, stratification by sex and/or age group can be expected to yield more accurate final total cost estimates. Therefore, when compatible with the case count data that is to be hand-entered, such stratification can be beneficial.
For each stratum appearing in a custom-generated data entry screen, the system-generated average costs (medical and work loss) will be displayed, preceded by an open cell into which a corresponding case count can be entered. Because the system-generated average costs are per case (per person) the counts that are entered should also represent counts of persons. Once all year-specific count data have been entered, the final report can be generated by clicking on the generate report button. (Prior to generating the report, a custom report title can be optionally entered at the bottom of the data entry screen.)
Note: Although a custom-generated data entry screen will always display both average medical costs and average work loss costs for purposes of reference, the final report will only show those cost categories (medical, work loss, combined) that were selected in the statistical options section of the interface (see Section 2.7).
WISQARS Cost of Injury Reports