Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 26, 2025
Digital Home-Monitoring of Patients after Kidney Transplantation: The MACCS Platform
Published on: April 12, 2021
Receiving care according to national heart failure guidelines is associated with lower total costs: an observational
Zayed M Yasin1, Philip D Anderson2, Markus Lingman3
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Medtigo Medical Group, North Adams, MA, USA.
Insights
Appropriate pharmacotherapy (AP) for heart failure (HF) patients is linked to significantly lower healthcare costs. This study in Sweden found AP reduced costs by €1130 per patient, highlighting potential savings.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Health Economics
- Pharmacotherapy
Background:
- Heart failure (HF) is associated with substantial healthcare costs, morbidity, and mortality.
- The economic impact of HF and the role of guideline-adherent pharmacotherapy remain under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate healthcare utilization and costs for HF patients in Region Halland, Sweden.
- To determine if appropriate pharmacotherapy (AP) is associated with reduced healthcare costs in HF patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 5987 HF patients in Region Halland, Sweden (2016).
- Cost assignment using Patient Encounter Costing methodology for all healthcare utilization.
- Statistical analysis to assess the association between AP and costs, adjusting for comorbidities.
Main Results:
- HF patient care cost €58.6 million (€9790/patient), representing 8.7% of total regional visit expenses.
- Inpatient care constituted the largest expenditure (€33.5 million).
- AP was associated with significantly lower costs (€1130 per patient, P < 0.001). Comorbidities increased costs.
Conclusions:
- HF patients are high users of healthcare, especially inpatient care.
- AP is associated with lower costs, even after adjusting for comorbidities, suggesting potential for cost reduction.
- Improving prescribing patterns and care quality may decrease overall HF costs and improve patient outcomes.
Aims:
Patients with heart failure (HF) have high costs, morbidity, and mortality, but it is not known if appropriate pharmacotherapy (AP), defined as compliance with international evidence-based guidelines, is associated with improved costs and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate HF patients' health care utilization, cost and outcomes in Region Halland (RH), Sweden, and if AP was associated with lower costs.
Methods And Results:
A total of 5987 residents of RH in 2016 carried HF diagnoses. Costs were assigned to all health care utilization (inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, primary health care, and medications) using a Patient Encounter Costing methodology. Care of HF patients cost €58.6 M, (€9790/patient) representing 8.7% of RH's total visit expenses and 14.9% of inpatient care (IPC) expenses. Inpatient care represented 57.2% of this expenditure, totalling €33.5 M (€5601/patient). Receiving AP was associated with significantly lower costs, by €1130 per patient (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval 574-1687). Comorbidities such as renal failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer were significantly associated with higher costs.
Conclusion:
Heart failure patients are heavy users of health care, particularly IPC. Receiving AP is associated with lower costs even adjusting for comorbidities, although causality cannot be proven from an observational study. There may be an opportunity to decrease overall costs and improve outcomes by improving prescribing patterns and associated high-quality care.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Heart Failure VII: Nursing Interventions
01:22Heart Failure VI: Adjunct Therapies
01:30Heart Failure V: Medical Management
01:30Heart Failure IV: Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation
01:28Mitral Regurgitation IV: Nursing Management
01:29Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care