title: The economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from 2004 to 2013.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines the epidemiology and economic impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at a nationwide level in South Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective analysis used the societal cost-of-illness framework, consisting of direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs, and indirect costs. In order to analyze the societal costs of patients with COPD, this study used a data mining and a macro-costing method on data from a South Korean national-level health survey and a national health insurance claims database from 2004-2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total societal cost of COPD in 2013 was estimated to be $439.9 million for 1,419,914 patients. The direct medical cost for COPD was $214.3 million, which included a hospitalization cost of $96.3 million, an outpatient cost of $76.4 million, and a pharmaceutical cost of $41.6 million. The direct non-medical cost was estimated at $43.5 million. The indirect overall cost associated with the morbidity and mortality of COPD was $182.2 million in 2013.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that COPD has a major effect on healthcare costs, particularly direct medical costs. Thus, appropriate long-term interventions are recommended to lower the economic burden of COPD in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: a a College of Nursing/The Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University , Seoul , the Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jinhyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: b b School of Public Health, Seoul National University , Seoul , the Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Jin
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: c c Department of Nursing , Kyungbok University , Gyeonggi-do , the Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sungjae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: d d Division of Nursing , Hallym University , Gangwon-do , the Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eunhee
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017281:Cost of Illness; D057225:Data Mining; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000191:economics*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Burden of illness; COPD; Societal cost; Time cost