OBJECTIVES: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive, genetic disease affecting more than 30,000 people in the United States and 70,000 people globally. Advances in CF therapies have resulted in improved survival and increasing treatment burden and costs. The aim of this study was to (1) estimate the total hospital costs and charges in CF patients, and (2) identify significant factors associated with said costs and charges.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) of 2018, part of the U.S. Nationwide Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database was undertaken. Adult patients ≥18 years with a primary and secondary diagnosis of CF (ICD-10 codes under E84) were identified using the hospital discharge records. Adjusted survey, univariate and multivariate regression models were utilized to determine characteristics of patients (age, gender, race, insurance payer), clinical (length of stay, type of admission, number of procedures), and hospital (region of hospital, bed size, owner) that are significantly associated with total hospital costs and charges in CF patients.

RESULTS: A total of 3,053 patients diagnosed with CF were identified from the 2018 NIS database, which is notably lower than those identified in earlier studies. The mean (SD) length of stay was 9.79 (0.23) days with a mean hospital cost of $27,212.15 ($1,075) and mean hospital charge of $108,367.60 ($6,991.86). Patients died in 18 (0.6%) of hospitalizations. Age, race, LOS, the number of procedures, region of hospital and hospital ownership were significantly associated with both total hospital costs and charges in CF patients.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide a quantitative understanding of the socio-economic factors associated with CF hospitalization, further patient-level analysis of predictors such disease severity, type of treatment, and resource utilization will potentially improve the findings and provide valuable insights for budgetary planning, disease management and treatment cost evaluation, and healthcare equity.