Related Experiment Videos
Nosocomial pneumonia: a cost-of-illness analysis
E S Dietrich1, M Demmler, G Schulgen
1Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung, Köln, Germany. edietrich@kbv.de
Infection
|May 23, 2002
Summary
Nosocomial pneumonia (NP) significantly increases hospital costs, with excess expenses per patient being higher for hospitals than for insurance funds. This highlights a financial deficit for healthcare providers, despite low contributions from antibiotics and microbiology to overall costs.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Economics
- Infectious Disease Management
- Hospital Administration
Background:
- Nosocomial pneumonia (NP) represents a significant financial burden.
- Understanding the incremental costs of NP is crucial for healthcare management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incremental cost of nosocomial pneumonia (NP) from both hospital and health insurance perspectives.
- To analyze the cost components and financial implications of NP for healthcare providers.
Main Methods:
- Prospective and retrospective matched-pairs analysis were employed.
- Cost data were collected from pneumonia patients and matched controls.
- 29 and 37 matched pairs were utilized in prospective and retrospective analyses, respectively.
Main Results:
- NP patients required longer artificial ventilation (5 days) and more intensive care (6.55 additional days).
- Excess costs per NP patient were DM 14,606 for hospitals and DM 7,988 for insurance funds (prospective analysis).
- Retrospective analysis showed higher excess costs: DM 29,610 for hospitals and DM 18,000 for insurance funds.
Conclusions:
- Hospitals incur higher incremental costs for NP than health insurance funds, indicating a financial deficit.
- Antibiotics and microbiology account for only 6.8% of incremental costs.
- Cost-saving initiatives should consider the relationship between NP, length of hospitalization, and associated expenses.