Cost-of-Illness Analysis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment in the Philippine General Hospital

Author(s)

Castillo RM1, Chuabio V2, Panelo CI2, Jimeno C2
1University of the Philippines, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines, 2University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines

Presentation Documents

OBJECTIVES: Clinical management of COVID-19, a novel disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is constantly evolving, thus resulting in variable hospitalization costs. The study determined the cost of treating COVID-19 in the Philippine General Hospital, the factors driving hospitalization cost, and the adequacy of national health insurance coverage.

METHODS: The study was conducted in a tertiary public referral center and involved retrospective chart review of adult COVID-19 patients admitted from April to September 2020. The analysis adopted a hospital perspective approach in estimating direct medical costs, which were stratified across different illness severities and clinicodemographic factors. Significant cost drivers were identified and the extent of insurance coverage for hospitalization was determined.

RESULTS: The study included 301 patients, mostly in the moderate (34%) and severe (30%) categories. The cost of confinement ranged from USD 123 to USD 21,397, averaging USD 2,852. Severe (USD 3,380) and critical (USD 4,508) cases had significantly higher hospitalization costs than mild (USD 968) and moderate (USD 1,817) cases (p<0.001). Patients with comorbidities incurred higher costs (USD 2,969) than those without (USD 1,568) (p<0.001). Length of admission (r=0.58, p<0.001) and age (r=0.18, p<0.001) showed positive correlation with hospitalization cost. Personal protective equipment (PPE) use accounted for the highest percentage of costs in mild (51%) and moderate (44%) cases. For severe and critical cases, medications and laboratories are the top cost drivers. Medications included investigational drugs and antibiotics, while laboratories included inflammatory markers, serum chemistry, and microbiologic studies. Comparing insurance case rates to actual costs showed that 14% of patients were not adequately covered.

CONCLUSION: The hospitalization cost for COVID-19 is highly variable. The following factors significantly resulted in higher costs: severe or critical disease, presence of comorbidities, longer hospital stay, and increasing age. Medications, laboratory tests, and PPE use accounted for the bulk of expenses.

Conference/Value in Health Info

2022-05, ISPOR 2022, Washington, DC, USA

Value in Health, Volume 25, Issue 6, S1 (June 2022)

Code

EE386

Topic

Economic Evaluation

Topic Subcategory

Novel & Social Elements of Value, Value of Information

Disease

Respiratory-Related Disorders, Systemic Disorders/Conditions

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