title: Cost analyses of community-acquired pneumonia from the hospital perspective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a widespread disease with important implications for health-care systems worldwide. This study investigated direct costs, treatment patterns, and outcomes associated with two patient cohorts hospitalized with CAP.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study design was naturalistic, prospective, and open.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study enrolled 580 patients. Two hundred sixty-one patients were treated initially with IV moxifloxacin (45%, cohort M); the remaining 319 patients received nonstandardized treatment (cohort S).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two hospitals in Germany.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical success rates were similar between treatment groups (cohort M, 242 of 256 patients, 95%; cohort S, 286 of 312 patients, 92%; p = 0.208). Mean +/- SD length of hospital stay was 10.8 +/- 5.2 days, with cohort M having a significantly shorter hospital stay (10.0 +/- 4 days) compared to cohort S (11.5 +/- 6 days; p < 0.001). Median of all direct costs was dollar 1,333 (minimum, dollar 127; maximum, dollar 9,488), with direct costs of dollar 1,250 in cohort M (minimum, dollar 372; maximum, dollar 9,488) and dollar 1,409 in cohort S (minimum, dollar 127; maximum, dollar 9,366) per treated episode of CAP (p = 0.066).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Major determinants of costs were length of hospital stay and ICU admission, whereas costs for staff and hotel were major contributors to direct costs. Initial antibiotic therapy with moxifloxacin resulted in similar clinical efficacy and direct costs compared to nonstandardized therapy; however, patients treated with moxifloxacin benefited with an earlier hospital discharge.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany. torsten.bauer@rub.de
authors.forename: Torsten Thomas
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Welte
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ernen
authors.forename: Barbara Monika
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Schlosser
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Thate-Waschke
authors.forename: Justus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Zeeuw
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schultze-Werninghaus
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001372:Aza Compounds / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000191:economics*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D005858:Germany; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000077266:Moxifloxacin; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000191:economics*; D011804:Quinolines / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001372:Aza Compounds; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D011804:Quinolines; D000077266:Moxifloxacin