An investigation of hospitalization costs for venous thromboembolism patients revealed that deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients incurred an average cost of $1,594 per hospitalization day, while pulmonary embolism (PE) patients accounted for $1,735 per day. The costs stabilized on the third day for both groups, according to an investigation published in Thrombosis Research.
Joseph F. Dasta of the University of Texas College of Pharmacy, Round Rock, and his associates examined 28,953 DVT and 35,550 PE patients, identified from January 2009 to March 2013, in a longitudinal, cohort-based study. The mean lengths of stay for the DVT and PE cohorts were 4.7 days and 5.4 days, respectively. The room and board costs were the biggest, accounting for 40%-53% of the total costs of the DVT cohort and 38%-59% of the costs of the PE cohort, depending on the day. Pharmacy costs for both groups remained stable throughout the hospital stay.
The researchers noted that there may be a higher degree of severity in DVT patients vs. those with PE, as DVT patients had qualitatively higher surgery, supply, and pharmacy costs relative to PE patients. “The results of this study suggest that any change in treatment strategies or protocols that could effect [length of stay] may impact the hospitalization costs of DVT and PE populations,” they concluded.
Read more here: (Thromb. Res. 2015;135:303-10).
