Economics of Chronic Rhinosinusitis

The objective of this article is to provide an updated review of the economic burden of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and discuss how both medical and surgical interventions impact direct and indirect costs related to CRS. By understanding the economics of CRS, clinicians may improve the patient-centeredness of their care and help distinguish between low and high value interventions.

Direct costs related to CRS are primarily driven by outpatient physician visits, prescription medical therapy, and endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). CRS produces large indirect costs and these costs often vary based on the severity of the patients CRS-specific QoL impairment. The overall direct cost related to CRS is estimated to range between $10 and $13 billion per year in the USA. The overall indirect cost related to CRS-related losses in work productivity is estimated to be in excess of $20 billion per year. In the appropriate patients with refractory CRS, ESS provides significant reductions in both direct and indirect costs; however, continued medical therapy alone may be a high value intervention in select patients who have lower severity in their baseline QoL and work productivity.