ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Our study aimed to identify the total costs of inpatient treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a tertiary institution in Serbia, an upper-middle-income country in Southeast Europe. METHODS: An observational, retrospective, cost-of-illness study was performed from the perspective of the National Health Insurance Fund and included a cohort of 78 females and 118 males admitted to the COVID-19 ward units of a tertiary center during the first wave of the pandemic. RESULTS: The median of the total costs in the non-survivors subgroup (n =43) was 3,279.16 Euros [interquartile range (IQR): 4,023.34; range: 355.20-9,909.61) which is higher than in the survivors (n =153) subgroup 747.10 Euros (IQR: 1,088.21; 46.71-3,265.91). The cut-off value of 156.46 Euros regarding the total costs per day was estimated to have 95.3 % sensitivity and 91.5 % specificity for predicting patients' dismal prognosis, with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.968 (95 % confidence interval: 0.940-0.996, p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Direct medical inpatient treatment costs for COVID-19 represent a significant economic burden. The link between increased costs and an ultimate unfavorable outcome should be further explored.HIPPOKRATIA 2022, 26 (2):62-69.