Capitated pricing model for stroke thrombectomies: a single center experience across three companies

Area of Science:

• Healthcare economics
• Medical device procurement
• Interventional neurology

Background:

• Rising healthcare expenditures necessitate cost-containment strategies.
• Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is a standard treatment for large vessel occlusions (LVOs).
• Device costs represent a significant portion of MT expenses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of capitation pricing models for MT devices.
• To compare costs of capitated equipment packages versus individual device costs.
• To assess institutional savings through negotiated pricing.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database (February 2018 - August 2019).
• Comparison of equipment costs under capitation models versus "virtual" (individual device) costs.
• Analysis of real-world, non-capitation cases for cost benchmarking.

Main Results:

• 107 cases met capitation criteria across three companies.
• Total net savings of $202,370.50 were achieved with the capitated model.
• Average per-case savings amounted to $1891.31, with lower mean capitation costs ($6972) compared to virtual ($8794) and non-capitation ($7176) costs.

Conclusions:

• Negotiated capitation pricing models resulted in significant cost savings for MT equipment.
• Capitation costs were demonstrably lower than both virtual and real-world non-capitation costs.
• This model can be adopted by other institutions to manage MT procedure expenses.