Healthcare resource use and costs among patients with COVID-19 in the United States

COVID-19 remains common in the US, but up-to-date data on health care resource utilization and cost remain limited, particularly during Omicron predominance.

This study was conducted using administrative claims data from the HealthVerity database. All available records in medical claims, pharmacy claims, laboratory tests, charge data master, and related enrollment, including COVID-19 events, from December 24, 2021 to April 30, 2022, were extracted. Outpatient and inpatient health care resource utilization (HCRU) and cost for the 28-day follow-up period after COVID-19 index date were calculated.

A total of 1,203,769 patients with COVID-19 were included in the HCRU analysis; of these, 377,945 had non-missing cost data and were included in the costing analysis. The median age was 43 years, and 90.3% were < 65 years of age. A total of 70.4% had at least one comorbidity, and 40.5% had filled at least one medication prescription with potential major drug-drug interaction (DDI) with ritonavir in the preceding 12 months. Among these COVID-19 patients, 44.4% had outpatient, 5.3% had emergency room, and 1.2% had urgent care visits; 1.9% were hospitalized. Among hospitalized patients, median length of stay was 3 days; 18.9% were admitted to the intensive care unit and 3.4% required invasive mechanical ventilation. Total mean treatment cost during the follow-up period was 4,965 (outpatient: 2,686; pharmacy: 2,278) among patients who were never hospitalized, and 33,329 among hospitalized patients (with $22,919 for inpatient care). HCRU and treatment costs were higher in patients aged 65 or older, and in those with comorbidities or medication prescriptions with ritonavir DDIs, regardless of whether they required hospitalization.

During the first four months of the Omicron wave, the economic burden of COVID-19 remained substantial. Older age and co-morbidities were associated with higher HCRU and treatment costs. This study provides data for future research evaluating the full economic impact of COVID-19 in the US.