[Direct hospitalization costs associated with chronic Hepatitis C in the Valencian Community in 2013]

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Health Economics
• Public Health

Background:

• Hospital costs for Chronic Hepatitis C (HCC) are concentrated in late-stage disease.
• Decompensation of cirrhosis represents the largest cost driver.
• Accurate cost quantification is essential for disease burden assessment and antiviral therapy financial planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the hospital costs associated with Chronic Hepatitis C (HCC) in the Valencian Community.
• To analyze cost distribution across different stages and complications of HCC.
• To evaluate the utility of Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) for cost estimation.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study analyzed 4,486 hospital discharges for HCC in 2013.
• Hospital costs were determined using Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) rates.
• Patient survival post-cirrhosis decompensation was estimated using a Markov model.

Main Results:

• 4,486 hospital episodes resulted in 6,713 stays, with a 28.2% readmission rate and 10.2% mortality.
• Total hospital costs reached 8,788,593 EUR.
• Cirrhosis-related costs were 3,306,333 EUR (5,273 EUR/patient), carcinoma costs were 1,060,521 EUR (6,350 EUR/patient), and transplantation costs were 2,962,873 EUR (70,544 EUR/patient).
• Comorbidity costs amounted to 1,458,866 EUR.
• These costs persist for an average of 4 years after cirrhosis decompensation.

Conclusions:

• Chronic Hepatitis C (HCC)-related cirrhosis incurs significant hospitalization costs.
• The DRG-based methodology provides a valuable tool for assessing the economic impact and trends of HCC.
• Effective cost management strategies are needed for late-stage HCC patients.