The cost analysis of inpatients with COVID-19

Habip Gedik 

Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Ministry of Health, Istanbul Taksim Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

Introduction: It was aimed to assess the economic burdens of inpatients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the social security institution.

Materials and methods: Patients, who were 18 years and older, diagnosed with COVID-19 by the laboratory (PCR test) or clinical and radiological (by the computed tomography of the thorax or a chest X-ray) findings and received treatment for at least 24 hours in clinics or intensive care unit (ICU) of Taksim Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey that serves with 250 beds at clinics and 38 beds at ICU, between 17 March and 11 May 2020, were included in the study.

Results: In the study, the invoices of 393 (76%) clinical patients (CPs) and 66 (24%) intensive care unit patients (ICUPs), consisting of the 255 (58%) males and 178 (42%) females, were analyzed. The mean hospitalization days of CPs were 8.97±4.64 days (Range 1-49 days). The mean cost per CP was $ 881.75±667.31 (Range: $45.07 - $7584.81). The mean cost per one-day for one CP was $ 101.2 ± 75.95 (Range: $6.58 - $1264.14). The mean hospitalization days of ICUPs were 14.74±13.19 days (Range: 1-61 days). The mean cost per ICUP was $2924  ± 2347.14 (Range: $223.01- $9681.88). The mean cost per one-day for one ICUP was $231.9±92.53 (Range: $22.3 - $480.73). 

Conclusion: The encouragement of domestic production of medical materials and medicines, the implementation of lowest drug price policy as a result of negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, the construction of medical care settings in less time and the settlement of medical care systems through previous experiences and achievements, and the deceleration of incident rates with restrictions were the main  factors in the reduction of financial burden of COVID-19