High-Deductible Health Plans and the Challenges They Pose to Radiologists.

Patients with high-deductible health plans will increasingly be motivated to contact their hospitals or various websites to try to obtain information about the costs of expensive services like advanced imaging. Unfortunately, they will not find price transparency but rather confusion and opaqueness. Hospital personnel and commercial websites often unwittingly provide erroneous pricing information. The reasons for this are explained. Detailed examples of the erroneous information are provided. State-mandated websites may be somewhat of an improvement, but their methodology seems to vary from state to state, and they too can be confusing. All this obviously creates problems for patients, who are left not knowing what their true costs will be. The situation also creates problems for radiologists and their hospitals. Because of misunderstandings that can occur during the information-gathering phase, the pricing information shown for many hospital facilities may be greatly inflated, placing them at a competitive disadvantage. Certain strategic solutions to the problems are available, and these are discussed.

Custo direto da passagem de cateter central de inserção periférica por enfermeiros em unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica e neonatal / Direct cost of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) performed by nurses in pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit

Introdução: Os pacientes críticos necessitam de um acesso venoso centra (AVC) para realização de terapia intravenosa (TIV) prolongada. Dentre as opções de AVC, o cateter central de inserção periférica (CCIP) vem conquistando espaço, progressivamente, nas organizações hospitalares brasileiras. A passagem de CCIP requer recursos humanos especializados, materiais, medicamentos e soluções específicas tornando-se fundamental a apuração dos custos envolvidos para subsidiar a eficiência alocativa destes insumos. Objetivo: identificar o custo direto médio (CDM) do procedimento de passagem de CCIP, realizado por enfermeiros, em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica e Neonatal (UTIPN). Método: Trata-se de pesquisa quantitativa, exploratório-descritiva, do tipo estudo de caso único. O procedimento objeto de estudo foi estruturado em três fases: "pré-inserção do cateter", "inserção do cateter" e "pós-inserção do cateter". A amostra constituiu-se da observação não participante de 101 passagens de CCIP na UTIPN. O CDM foi calculado multiplicando-se o tempo (cronometrado) despendido por enfermeiros e técnicos de enfermagem pelo custo unitário da mão de obra direta (mob), somando-se ao custo dos materiais e soluções. A moeda brasileira real (R$), utilizada originalmente nos cálculos, foi convertida para a moeda norte-americana dólar (US$). Resultados: Obteve-se o CDM do procedimento (C(P2)) de passagem de CCIP correspondente a US$226.60 (DP=82.84), variando entre US$ 99.03 e US$530.71, com mediana de US$313.21. O CDM com material, US$138.81 (DP=75.48), e o CDM com mob de enfermeiro, US$78.80 (DP=30.75), foram os valores mais expressivos para a composição do C(P2) Os kits de cateteres corresponderam aos itens de maior impacto na composição do CDM com material e de maior custo unitário, com destaque para cateter epicutâneo + introdutor, "kit" ­ 2FR/duas vias (US$ 208.82/unidade); cateter epicutâneo + introdutor, "kit" ­ 2FR (US$ 74.09/unidade) e cateter epicutâneo + introdutor, "kit" ­ 3FR (US$ 70.37/unidade). O CDM com mob da equipe de enfermagem foi mais elevado na Fase 2: "inserção do cateter" (US$ 43.26 ­ DP=21.41) e na Fase 1 "pré-inserção do cateter" (US$ 37.96 ­ DP=14.89). Houve predomínio do CDM com o mob de enfermeiro, especialmente pelo protagonismo dos enfermeiros executantes, US$ 40.40 (DP=20.58) e US$ 34.05 (DP=15.03), respectivamente. Conclusão: Este estudo de caso além de propiciar a mensuração do C(P2) de passagem de CCIP, conferiu visibilidade aos insumos consumidos na perspectiva de contribuir com o seu uso racional. Favoreceu inclusive a proposição de estratégias visando incrementar a TIV prolongada, por meio do CCIP, e, consequentemente, auxiliar na contenção/minimização de custos e na diminuição de custos intangíveis aos pacientes.

Introduction: Critical patients require a central venous access (CVA) for prolonged intravenous (IVT) therapy. Among the AVC options, the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) has been progressively gaining a position in Brazilian hospital organizations. The passage of PICC requires specialized human resources, materials, medicines and specific solutions, being crucial to calculate the costs involved to subsidize the allocative efficiency of these inputs. Objective: To identify the average direct cost (ADC) of the PICC procedure performed by nurses, in a Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PNICU). Method: This is a quantitative, exploratory-descriptive, single-case study. The procedure was arranged into three phases: "pre-insertion of the catheter", "insertion of the catheter" and "post-insertion of the catheter". The sample consisted of the non-participant observation of 101 PICC passages in the PNICU. The average was calculated by multiplying the time (measured) spent by nurses and nursing technicians by the unit cost of direct labor (dl), adding up to the cost of materials and solutions. The Brazilian Real currency (R $), originally used in the calculations, was converted to the US dollar currency (US $). Results: The ADC of the PICC passage procedure (C (P2)) corresponded to US $ 226.60 (SD = 82.84), ranging from US $ 99.03 to US $ 530.71, with a median of US $ 313.21.ADC regarding material was US $ 138.81 (SD = 75.48), and ADC regarding nurse dl was US $ 78.80 (SD = 30.75), which were the most significant values for the C (P2) composition. The catheter kits corresponded to the items with the highest impact in the composition of the ADC regarding material and with a higher unit cost, with emphasis on epicutaneous catheter + introducer, kit - 2FR / two tracks (US $ 208.82 / unit); epicutaneous catheter + introducer, "kit" - 2FR (US $ 74.09 / unit) and epicutaneous catheter + introducer, "kit" - 3FR (US $ 70.37 / unit). The ADC regarding dl of the nursing team was higher in Phase 2: "insertion of the catheter" (US $ 43.26 - SD = 21.41) and in Phase 1 "pre-insertion of the catheter" (US $ 37.96 - SD = 14.89). There was a predominance of the ADC regarding nurse dl, especially due to the leading role of the nurse practitioners, US $ 40.40 (SD = 20.58) and US $ 34.05 (SD = 15.03), respectively. Conclusion: This case study, besides providing the measurement of the PICC passage, allowed visibility to the inputs consumed from the perspective of contributing to its rational use. It also favored the proposition of strategies aimed at increasing the prolonged IVT though PICC and, consequently, to contain / minimize costs and reduce intangible costs to patients.

Medical employment growth, unemployment, and the opportunity cost of health care.

This policy note examines the relationship between the growth in the share of the workforce in medical care and the shares of workers who are unemployed, working in services or government employment, or working elsewhere in the economy. These changes provide measures of the opportunity cost of higher medical care spending, the majority of which is on labor. Using state data over the period 1990-2010, we find that, in years of high economy-wide unemployment, growth in medical employment in a state reduces the unemployment rate significantly; it does not appear to displace employment in other services or government employment. In periods of low economy wide-unemployment, the growth in the medical employment share does not reduce unemployment. We argue that the opportunity cost of higher medical care employment may sometimes not be so high in terms of real labor resources, nor in terms of employment for needed government services.

The Psychiatric Patient as a Health Resource Consumer: Costs Associated with Electroconvulsive Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice protocols should consider both the psychological criteria related to a patient's satisfaction as a consumer of health services and the economic criteria to allocate resources efficiently. An electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) program was implemented in our hospital to treat psychiatric patients. The main objective of this study was to determine the cost associated with the ECT sessions implemented in our hospital between 2008 and 2014. A secondary objective was to calculate the cost of sessions that were considered ineffective, defined as those sessions in which electrical convulsion did not reach the preset threshold duration, in order to identify possible ways of saving money and improving satisfaction among psychiatric patients receiving ECT. METHODS: A descriptive analysis of the direct health costs related to ECT from the perspective of the public health system between 2008 and 2014 was performed using a retrospective chart review. All of the costs are in euros (2011) and were discounted at a rate of 3%. Based on the base case, a sensitivity analysis of the changes of those variables showing the greatest uncertainty was performed. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients received 853 sessions of ECT. The cumulative cost of these sessions was €1409528.63, and 92.9% of this cost corresponded to the hospital stay. A total of €420732.57 (29.8%) was inefficiently spent on 269 ineffective sessions. A sensitivity analysis of the economic data showed stable results to changes in the variables of uncertainty. CONCLUSION: The efficiency of ECT in the context outlined here could be increased by discerning a way to shorten the associated hospital stay and by reducing the number of ineffective sessions performed.

A five-year assessment of the affordable care act: market forces still trump the common good in U.S. Health care.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010 as the signature domestic achievement of the Obama presidency. It was intended to contain costs and achieve near-universal access to affordable health care of improved quality. Now, five years later, it is time to assess its track record. This article compares the goals and claims of the ACA with its actual experience in the areas of access, costs, affordability, and quality of care. Based on the evidence, one has to conclude that containment of health care costs is nowhere in sight, that more than 37 million Americans will still be uninsured when the ACA is fully implemented in 2019, that many more millions will be underinsured, and that profiteering will still dominate the culture of U.S. health care. More fundamental reform will be needed. The country still needs to confront the challenge that our for-profit health insurance industry, together with enormous bureaucratic waste and widespread investor ownership throughout our market-based system, are themselves barriers to health care reform. Here we consider the lessons we can take away from the ACA's first five years and lay out the economic, social/political, and moral arguments for replacing it with single-payer national health insurance.

Custo das doencas atribuiveis a fatores ambientais na cidade de Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil / Cost of illness attributable to environmental factors in the city of Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil

O presente estudo estimou o custo das doenças atribuíveis a fatores ambientais na cidade de Manaus, entre os anos de 1998 a 2009. As causas de internação hospitalar foram agrupadas com base nos estudos de Carga Global de Doença e da Análise Comparativa de Risco da Organização Mundial da Saúde. O valor foi estimado por meio da soma dos (i) gastos hospitalares com tratamento das doenças atribuíveis a fatores ambientais com os (ii) valores dos dias de trabalho perdidos resultante da permanência em leito hospitalar, estimados a partir da remuneração média dos trabalhadores de Manaus. Os dados ainda foram calibrados levando-se em consideração a cobertura da população com plano de saúde privado. O custo das doenças, considerando os valores corrigidos pelo Índice Geral de Preços do Mercado para o ano de 2009, foi estimado em R$ 286.852.666,97, dos quais as doenças cardiovasculares, as infecções respiratórias das vias aéreas inferiores e as doenças diarreicas são responsáveis por 78,6%. Das frações atribuíveis a fatores ambientais, as doenças cardiovasculares respondem por 16% (IC: 7-23%), as infecções respiratórias das vias aéreas inferiores por 41% (IC: 32-47%), e as diarreias por 94% (IC: 84-98%) da carga global das doenças.

The study estimated the cost of illness attributable to environmental factors in the city of Manaus between the years 1998 to 2009. The causes of hospitalization were grouped based on studies of the Global Burden of Disease and Comparative Risk Assessment of the World Health Organization. The value was estimated by the sum of (i) hospital spending on treatment of diseases directly attributable to environmental factors, and (ii) the costs of lost workdays resulting from the stay in hospital estimated on the basis of the average earnings of Manaus workers. The data were further calibrated taking into account the coverage of the population with private health insurance. The cost of illness, considering the values corrected by the General Market Price Index for the year 2009 was estimated at R$ 286,852,666.97, of which cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections of the lower airways and diarrheal diseases are responsible for 78.6% of these values. Of the fractions attributable to environmental factors, cardiovascular diseases account for 16% (CI: 7-23%), respiratory infections and respiratory infections of the lower airways for 41% (CI: 32-47%), and diarrhea for 94% (CI: 84-98%) of the global burden of disease.

Costos ambulatorios y hospitalarios de la falla cardiaca en dos hospitales de Bogotá / Outpatient and inpatient costs of heart failure in two hospitals in Bogotá

Objetivo: realizar una aproximación a la determinación de costos directos de la falla cardiaca (FC) en el país, a través de la evaluación de costos asociados con el cuidado de pacientes atendidos en dos instituciones prestadoras de salud de Bogotá. Métodos: estudio de costos bajo la perspectiva del tercer pagador. La identificación de eventos generadores de costos en atención ambulatoria se realizó mediante revisión de historias clínicas de pacientes atendidos durante 2011 en la consulta externa especializada de una institución. Los costos de interconsultas y paraclínicos se determinaron según los valores del Acuerdo 256 de 2001, con adición de 30%. Los costos de la medicación se determinaron a partir del registro SISMED. La identificación de eventos generadores de costos en hospitalización se realizó mediante revisión de listados y facturas de pacientes atendidos entre 2009 y 2010 en dos instituciones. Los resultados se presentan resumidos por medidas de tendencia central y de dispersión, en pesos colombianos (COP) de 2011. Resultados: el costo mensual promedio del tratamiento ambulatorio de FC fue de 304.318 COP (D.E. 760.876), con una mediana de 45.280 COP (RIC 25.539 - 109.715); los medicamentos representaron la fuente principal de consumo de recursos (55,2%). El costo promedio de la hospitalización por descompensación de FC fue de 6.427.887 COP (D.E. 9.663.176); la estancia hospitalaria representó la mayor proporción del costo (29,1%). Conclusiones: los costos ambulatorios, y especialmente los hospitalarios, asociados con la FC en Colombia son sustanciales. La fuente principal de costos difiere dependiendo de si el manejo es hospitalario (estancia) o ambulatorio (medicamentos). (Acta Med Colomb 2013; 38: 208-212).

Objective: to make an approach to the determination of direct costs of heart failure (HF) in the country through the evaluation of costs associated with the care of patients seen in two health institutions in Bogota. Methods: low cost third-party payer perspective. Identification of cost generating events in ambulatory care was performed by review of medical records of patients seen during 2011 in the specialized outpatient clinic of an institution. Interconsultations and paraclinical costs were determined according to the 256 Agreement of 2001, with addition of 30%. Medication costs were determined from the SISMED register. Identification of events that generate costs in hospitalization was conducted by reviewing lists and bills of patients treated between 2009 and 2010 in two institutions. The results are presented summarized by measures of central tendency and dispersion, in Colombian pesos (COP) of 2011. Results: the average monthly cost for outpatient treatment of HF was 304,318 COP (D.E. 760 876), with a median of 45,280 COP (RIC 25,539-109,715); drugs represented the main source of resource consumption (55.2%). The average cost of hospitalization for decompensated HF was 6,427,887 COP (D.E. 9.663.176); hospital stay accounted for the largest proportion of the cost (29.1%). Conclusions: outpatient costs, and especially the inpatient ones associated with HF in Colombia are substantial. The main source of costs differs depending on whether the management is hospitable (stay) or outpatient (drugs). (Acta Med Colomb 2013; 38: 208-212).

Custos hospitalares da meningite causada por Streptococcus pneumoniae na cidade de São José dos Campos, SP / Hospital costs of Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis in the city of São José dos Campos, SP

O conhecimento dos custos das doenças imuno preveníveis, em especial os custos hospitalares da meningite pneumocócica, objeto de estudo desta tese, são de grande importância para os processos de tomada de decisão no que se refere a intervenções ou estratégias de saúde pública. O objetivo desta tese foi estimar os custos hospitalares relacionados à meningite pelo Streptococcus pneumoniae em crianças com idade até 13 anos (inclusive), na cidade de São José dos Campos, nos últimos dez anos. Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo de custo-de-doença, a partir dos casos notificados de meningite pneumocócica ocorridos de janeiro de 1999 a dezembro de 2008. O cálculo da estimativa de custos hospitalares foi realizado de acordo com o método misto para a mensuração das quantidades dos itens de custos identificados e também para atribuição de valor aos itens consumidos, fazendo uso do micro-costing quando este era possível, e do gross-costing, como alternativa de viabilidade. Todos os custos foram calculados com os valores monetários referentes a novembro de 2009, e expressos em reais. Para análise das frequências e médias, foi usado o programa Epi-Info versão 3.5.1. Resultados: De 1999 a 2008, foram notificados ao núcleo municipal de vigilância epidemiológica 41 casos de meningite pneumocócica em menores com até 13 anos de idade (média = 4,8 anos), a maior parte meninos (65,6%; n=27). A prevalência variou entre 0,48 e 5,96%, ao longo do período de estudo, e o número de casos variou de 1 a 9 por ano. O tempo de internação variou entre 8 e 47 dias (média = 23,1 dias). Dez casos evoluíram para o óbito (24,4%; 95%IC = 12,4% - 40,3%)...

The knowledge of the costs of immuno-preventable diseases, mainly the hospital costs of pneumococcal meningitis, object of study of this thesis, are of great importance to the processes of decision making regarding public health interventions or strategies. The aim of this thesis was to estimate the direct hospital costs related to pneumococcal meningitis in children until 13 years of age, in the city of São José dos Campos, from January 1999 to December 2008. A retrospective cost-of-illness study was performed, from the notified cases of pneumococcal meningitis which happened in the period of study. The estimate calculation of the hospital costs was carried out according to the mixed method for the measurement of the quantities of the items of identified costs, and also to value attribution to the items consumed, making use of micro-costing when this was possible, and of the gross-costing, as a viability alternative. All costs were calculated according to the monetary values of November 2009, and in the Brazilian currency (Real). As for the analysis of frequencies and averages, the Epi-Info program, version 3.5.1, was used. Results: From 1999 to 2008, 41 cases of pneumococcal meningitis in minors until 13 years of age (average = 4.8 years of age), mostly boys (65.6%; n=27) were notified to the municipal nucleus of epidemiological vigilance. The prevalence varied between 0.48 and 5.96%, during the period of study, and the number of cases varied from 1 to 9 per year. The period of permanence in hospital varied between 8 and 47 days (average = 23.1 days). Ten cases resulted in death (24.4%; 95%IC = 12.4% - 40.3%)...