Direct medical costs of hospitalization due to heart failure in the health plan of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

Abstract

Introduction: It is undeniable that costs of medical care in chronic diseases has increased. There are multiple reasons: population aging, associated pathologies late complications, available high cost health technologies. Heart failure is one of the main causes of global death and morbidity, being the final consequence of cardiac diseases and hypertension, fulfilling criteria of becoming a high costs pathology. We are going to evaluate direct medical costs of hospitalization due to heart failure from the vision of those who manage health resources.

Materials and Methods: Observational, retrospective cohort using secondary databases from the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Adult population with diagnosed heart failure that required hospitalization with discharge diagnosis of  heart failure between 2007 and 2011.

Results: The main cost component was attributable to hospital bed, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The average incidence of hospitalizations during the period was 11.4 per 10,000 patients / year. Overall mortality in the episode rate was 0.25% per year and 28.8 % overall 60%

Conclusion: The most important decision seems decide whether management can be done on an outpatient basis or not, using heart failures guidelines to optimize time of admission, auxiliary diagnostic methods and medications used.