Cost of Cardiovascular Disease Event and Cardiovascular Disease Treatment-Related Complication Hospitalizations in...

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents a significant financial burden in the United States.
• Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) are crucial for evaluating economic impacts and prioritizing CVD treatments.
• Standardized cost data for CVD events and treatment complications are needed for robust CEAs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop standardized, nationally representative hospitalization costs for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events.
• To estimate costs for selected CVD treatment-related complications.
• To provide data for improving the accuracy of cost-effectiveness analyses in the US.

Main Methods:

• Utilized inpatient hospital discharge data from the National Inpatient Sample (2012-2018).
• Identified events using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) codes.
• Converted facility charges to costs using charge-to-cost ratios and professional fee ratios, reporting in 2021 US dollars.

Main Results:

• Heart failure and cerebrovascular disease had the highest annual mean hospital discharges.
• Peripheral vascular disease and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation had the highest mean cost per discharge.
• Heart failure and acute myocardial infarction hospitalizations incurred the highest annual healthcare costs; acute kidney injury was the most frequent complication.

Conclusions:

• The developed hospitalization cost estimates and statistical code can improve transparency in CVD cost-effectiveness analyses.
• This study provides valuable data for researchers and policymakers evaluating the economic impact of cardiovascular diseases.
• Standardized cost data facilitates more reliable comparisons of different CVD treatment strategies.