Cost of heart failure in Swedish primary healthcare.
OBJECTIVE
To calculate the cost for patients with heart failure (HF) in a primary healthcare setting.


METHODS
Retrospective study of all available patient data during a period of one year.


METHODS
Two healthcare centers in Linköping in the southeastern region of Sweden, covering a population of 19 400 inhabitants.


METHODS
A total of 115 patients with a diagnosis of HF.


METHODS
The healthcare costs for patients with HF and the healthcare utilization concerning hospital days and visits to doctors and nurses in hospital care and primary healthcare.


RESULTS
The mean annual cost for a patient with HF was SEK 37 100. There were no significant differences in cost between gender, age, New York Heart Association functional class, and cardiac function. The distribution of cost was 47% for hospital care, 22% for primary healthcare, 18% for medication, 5% for nursing home, and 6% for examinations.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospital care accounts for the largest cost but the cost in primary healthcare is larger than previously shown. The total annual cost for patients with HF in Sweden is in the range of SEK 5.0-6.7 billion according to this calculation, which is higher than previously known.
Agvall
Björn
B
General Practice, Department of Health and Society, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ekholmsvägen 7, SE-582 29 Linköping, Sweden. bjorn.agvall@lio.se
Borgquist
Lars
L
Foldevi
Mats
M
Dahlström
Ulf
U
D000368:Aged; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000191:economics; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D016527:Drug Costs; D005194:Family Practice / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013548:Sweden