title: Cost-effective management of heart failure.
abstract: Heart failure affects more than 2 million Americans, and about 400,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The direct economic cost is over $10 billion/year. About 75% of this cost is spent on hospitalization, and almost 20% on nursing home care. Drugs such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce mortality and hospitalization and are thus very cost effective in the management of heart failure. Cost-effective strategies should focus on keeping patients out of the hospital. Additional savings can be obtained by more appropriate utilization of tests.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Parmley
mesh_terms: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D017046:Cost Savings; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000191:economics; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors