Cost of outpatient care in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in a German University Hospital
- 5 January 2004
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Vol. 19 (2), 192-199
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1746.2004.03251.x
Abstract
Background and Aim: Because of its long duration, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) causes high use of health services and high lifetime costs for medical care. The aim of the present study was to measure the costs of outpatient care in patients with IBD in a German University Hospital and to identify potentially relevant determinants of costs. Methods: The use of resources of 599 outpatient patients treated at a German University Hospital (65% Crohn's disease [CD] and 26% ulcerative colitis [UC]) was measured using a routine database. Costs of medical services (diagnostics and treatment) were considered as well as costs of medication. Resource use was valued using fee schedules for hospital services and pharmacy prices for drugs. Results: The mean cost of one outpatient visit was €162, including physician costs, laboratory costs, and costs of diagnostic procedures following the visit. For a subgroup of 272 patients, the mean annual cost for outpatient care was €3171. Medication accounted for 85% of the total annual costs. Potential determinants, such as main diagnosis (CD or UC), sex, age, localization of disease, and occurrence of anemia, had no influence on costs, whereas complications of IBD and use of corticosteroids showed an impact on annual costs. Conclusions: This is the first time that the structure and range of outpatient treatment costs for IBD have been demonstrated for a German hospital.Keywords
This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Kostenerfassung bei chronisch-entzündlichen Darmerkrankungen durch direkte Patientenbefragung mit einem KostenwochenbuchZeitschrift für Gastroenterologie, 2002
- Open access follow up for inflammatory bowel disease: pragmatic randomised trial and cost effectiveness studyBMJ, 2000
- Diagnostischer Standard bei chronisch entzündlichen DarmerkrankungenDer Internist, 1998
- Predictors of health care utilization in patients with inflammatory bowel diseaseEuropean Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 1998
- Rectal corticosteroids versus alternative treatments in ulcerative colitis: a meta-analysis.Gut, 1997
- Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease across Europe: is there a difference between north and south? Results of the European Collaborative Study on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (EC-IBD).Gut, 1996
- Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseJournal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 1992
- Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseJournal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 1992
- Coated mesalazine (5-aminosalicylic acid) versus sulphasalazine in the treatment of active ulcerative colitis: a randomised trial.BMJ, 1989
- IOIBD report no 1: Observer variation in calculating indices of severity and activity in Crohn's disease. International Organisation for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Gut, 1987