OBJECTIVES

The assessment aims to compare the direct medical costs of an offline, an integrated online and a new multi-step online system to evaluate the impact on hospital budgets. To date, few health economic evaluations exist for Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) procedures. While the clinical efficacy of the treatment has been established, new devices have recently entered the market, which may impact healthcare provider decisions.

METHODS

Quantitative data collection on the new multi-step online device combination has been conducted by means of recreating and measuring timing of the procedure. A literature review was conducted to establish average timings and allocated costs of the alternative ECP treatment modalities (i.e., offline and integrated online systems).

RESULTS

Both the multi-step online and the integrated online technologies reduce the economic burden on the hospital’s budget versus offline alternatives. A part of this economic burden is allocated to the lab analysis costs which is an additional 694 EUR on average in comparison to no cost for the two online systems. In addition, the online procedures almost cut the bed retention and personnel related costs in half.

The main distinguishing criteria between multi-step online and integrated online technologies from a purely health economic perspective is the price of the disposable set which can trigger a difference in economic value of at least 226 EUR. Novel treatment modalities allow for a more economical yet comparable procedure option for ECP.

CONCLUSIONS

From a hospital budget and patient access point of view, the new alternative (multi-step online) demonstrates an economic benefit. Facilitating such transparency of the costs associated with the different ECP delivery methods may support stakeholders in decision making, improve patient access to care, which in turn may lead to a shift in the reimbursement coverage in EU Member States.