ATTRIBUTABLE COST OF ADULT HOSPITALIZED PNEUMONIA BEYOND THE ACUTE PHASE
Abstract
Background
While much is known about the cost of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) during the acute phase, little is known about the potential attributable cost of CAP thereafter.
Methods
A retrospective matched-cohort design and data from a US private healthcare claims repository were employed. In each month of accrual (01/2013 – 07/2017), adults who were hospitalized for CAP in that month (“CAP patients”) were matched (1:1, without replacement) on demographic and clinical profiles to adults who did not develop CAP in that month (“comparison patients”). All-cause healthcare utilization and expenditures (2018 US$) were tallied during the acute phase (i.e., from date of CAP hospitalization through 30 days post-discharge) as well as from the end of the acute phase to the end of the three-year follow-up period.
Results
Expenditures during the acute phase of the CAP hospitalization averaged $32,064 (vs. $1,556 for comparison patients). By the end of the 3-year follow-up period, all-cause expenditures averaged $124,035 for CAP patients versus $63,652 for comparison patients, and thus attributable costs totaled $60,383.
Conclusions
Our findings provide additional evidence that the cost of CAP requiring hospitalization is high, and that the impact of CAP extends beyond the expected time for resolution of acute inflammatory signs.
