Re-evaluating the cost of outpatient cancer chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy for common malignant tumours has historically been considered relatively expensive. An examination of costs at the Toronto-Bayview Regional Cancer Centre and Sunnybrook Medical Centre, Toronto, suggests that this perception is not accurate. The cost of chemotherapeutic agents administered on an outpatient basis over 4 to 6 months in established drug protocols ranged from $260 to $5374 (mean $2224). The total cost of outpatient administration was estimated to be $152.53 per dose, compared with $185.39 for inpatient administration of the same protocol, a difference of 22%. The difference was predominantly due to a higher allocated per-diem charge at the medical centre. The results indicate that outpatient administration reduces the overall cost of chemotherapy.
Wodinsky
H B
HB
Department of Administration, Toronto-Bayview Regional Cancer Centre, Ont.
DeAngelis
C
C
Rusthoven
J J
JJ
Kerr
I G
IG
Sutherland
D
D
Iscoe
N
N
Buckman
R
R
Kornijenko
M
M
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005249:Fees and Charges; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*