OBJECTIVES:

Assessment of economic burden of heart failure (HF) and evaluation of healthcare resource utilization (HRU) by HF patients during index hospitalization and at 1-year follow-up

METHODS:

Healthcare resources utilization is one of the secondary objectives of Manipal Heart Failure Registry (MHFR) to analyse economic burden and healthcare resources utilized by HF patients at index hospitalization and at every follow-up upto 3 years. The hospital expenses and follow-up expenses borne by patients for treatment of HF condition were analysed in details to evaluate the economic burden and HRU. In-patient bills were analysed including expenses for intensive care unit stay and charges for admission procedure, cardiac procedure, cardiac material, consultations, nursing, biochemistry laboratory, general store, medicines, central sterile supply unit and other charges. One year follow-up economic burden was divided into expenses for re-admissions and medications, consultation, procedures, travel and caregiver’s expenses at scheduled and unscheduled visits to clinician due to HF.

RESULTS:

A total of 427 patients were included. Mean age was 65.08 ± 13.6 years, and 255 (59.8%) patients were males. 146 (34.1%) patients came for unscheduled visits and 46 (10.8%) patients got re-admitted during 1-year follow-up. Average duration of hospitalization was 5.3 days in MHFR patients. Per patient average expenses of one hospitalization (index admission/re-admission) were 59492 INR (915 USD) with highest expenses on medicines 23994 INR (370 USD) followed by biochemistry 5299 INR (82 USD) and cardiac procedure 3982 INR (60 USD). Average follow-up expenses for one patient at 1-year was 22680 INR (349 USD) including readmissions, scheduled, unscheduled visits, and medication.

CONCLUSIONS:

Severity of the disease and longer stay in ICU increases the economic burden during hospitalization. Unscheduled visits and re-admissions increase HF economic burden at follow-ups. Non-compliance to medication and diet are major factors for unscheduled visits and re-admissions in HF patients.