Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.

Systemic lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disease that can affect a person's physical, mental, and social life. It imposes a substantial economic burden up on patients, carers, healthcare systems, and wider society. This is the first study to examine the direct hea...

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Main Authors: Francis Fatoye, Tadesse Gebrye, Lawrence W Svenson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251409
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author Francis Fatoye
Tadesse Gebrye
Lawrence W Svenson
author_facet Francis Fatoye
Tadesse Gebrye
Lawrence W Svenson
author_sort Francis Fatoye
collection DOAJ
description Systemic lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disease that can affect a person's physical, mental, and social life. It imposes a substantial economic burden up on patients, carers, healthcare systems, and wider society. This is the first study to examine the direct health care costs of SLE in Alberta using real-world data. Alberta maintains a publicly funded, universally available health care system. Health service use and direct healthcare costs of SLE and non-SLE cases were determined from inpatient hospital services, fee-for-physician services, emergency services, and ambulatory care services. All costs were estimated for calendar year 2016. Data were analysed using central measures specifically the mean to determine the annual costs of SLE and non-SLE. A total number of 10,932 (Male = 2,546; Female = 8,386), and 41,851,36 (Male = 21,157,76; Female = 20,693,60) of SLE and non-SLE cases, respectively were included in this study. The mean annual costs of SLE, and non-SLE per case were $7,740.19 (Male = $7,986.59; Female = $7,665.38), and $2,479.53 (Male = $2,265.57; Female = $2,698.30), (p < 0.001) respectively. The mean annual costs of fee-for-physician services (SLE = $2,160.03; non-SLE = $840.00) (p < 0.001), inpatient hospital services (SLE = $3,462.86; non-SLE = $1,007.29), (p < 0.001) emergency services (SLE = $440.28; non-SLE = $176.65), (p < 0.001) and ambulatory care services (SLE = $1,677.03; non-SLE = $455.05) (p < 0.001) per case were estimated. The findings showed that the costs of SLE were considerably high for patients and healthcare system. This highlights the importance of appropriate treatment and management of SLE. Further studies are required to fully investigate both the direct and indirect economic burden of SLE including out-of-pocket expenses, costs to patients and caregivers and productivity loss.
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spelling doaj.art-b178bac016704e549fd7c087fefeb1862022-12-21T23:14:16ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01165e025140910.1371/journal.pone.0251409Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.Francis FatoyeTadesse GebryeLawrence W SvensonSystemic lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disease that can affect a person's physical, mental, and social life. It imposes a substantial economic burden up on patients, carers, healthcare systems, and wider society. This is the first study to examine the direct health care costs of SLE in Alberta using real-world data. Alberta maintains a publicly funded, universally available health care system. Health service use and direct healthcare costs of SLE and non-SLE cases were determined from inpatient hospital services, fee-for-physician services, emergency services, and ambulatory care services. All costs were estimated for calendar year 2016. Data were analysed using central measures specifically the mean to determine the annual costs of SLE and non-SLE. A total number of 10,932 (Male = 2,546; Female = 8,386), and 41,851,36 (Male = 21,157,76; Female = 20,693,60) of SLE and non-SLE cases, respectively were included in this study. The mean annual costs of SLE, and non-SLE per case were $7,740.19 (Male = $7,986.59; Female = $7,665.38), and $2,479.53 (Male = $2,265.57; Female = $2,698.30), (p < 0.001) respectively. The mean annual costs of fee-for-physician services (SLE = $2,160.03; non-SLE = $840.00) (p < 0.001), inpatient hospital services (SLE = $3,462.86; non-SLE = $1,007.29), (p < 0.001) emergency services (SLE = $440.28; non-SLE = $176.65), (p < 0.001) and ambulatory care services (SLE = $1,677.03; non-SLE = $455.05) (p < 0.001) per case were estimated. The findings showed that the costs of SLE were considerably high for patients and healthcare system. This highlights the importance of appropriate treatment and management of SLE. Further studies are required to fully investigate both the direct and indirect economic burden of SLE including out-of-pocket expenses, costs to patients and caregivers and productivity loss.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251409
spellingShingle Francis Fatoye
Tadesse Gebrye
Lawrence W Svenson
Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.
PLoS ONE
title Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.
title_full Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.
title_fullStr Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.
title_full_unstemmed Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.
title_short Direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Alberta, Canada.
title_sort direct health system costs for systemic lupus erythematosus patients in alberta canada
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251409
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