Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Utilization and Costs: A Detailed Analysis From Inpatient and Outpatient Perspectives

Speaker(s)

Steinmann M1, Gruhn S1, Jahn B2, Kuhlmann A3, Lange B4, Greiner W1
1Department for Health Economics and Health Care Management, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, NW, Germany, 2Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and HTA, Dep. of Public Health, Health Services Research and HTA, UMIT - University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall, Austria, 3Faculty of Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), ST, Germany, 4Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, NI, Germany

Presentation Documents

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare systems worldwide, necessitating detailed analyses to understand the associated healthcare utilization and costs. This study examines these parameters among insured patients in Germany with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses, focusing on both inpatient and outpatient care. Insights from this study are being incorporated into an agent-based model currently under development for Germany, aimed at simulating healthcare dynamics and resource allocation during pandemics.

METHODS: We analyzed claims data of a large German health insurance company from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. The study included patients with at least one confirmed inpatient COVID-19 diagnosis, analyzing subgroups with hospital mortality and ICU admissions. Logistic regression was used to estimate the ratio of COVID-19-related outpatient visits to subsequent hospital admissions. Costs were adjusted for ICU treatment length of stay (LOS) and hospital mortality, considering variables such as disease severity, virus variants, and seasonal effects.

RESULTS: The study identified an annual range of 9,519 to 20,524 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. A notable decrease in the mean LOS from 22.61 days in 2020 to 14.43 days in 2022 was observed, along with a corresponding decrease in average costs from €9,129 to €5,463. ICU costs remained higher, highlighting the significant financial impact of severe COVID-19 cases. The analysis also revealed a strong correlation between costs and LOS, with less correlation to ICU stays or hospital mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: The persistent high costs, especially in ICU care, underscore the substantial economic burden of COVID-19 on healthcare systems. The findings suggest that managing the length of stay and optimizing resource allocation in hospitals are crucial for controlling healthcare expenditures during ongoing and future pandemics. The integration of these insights into an agent-based model could provide a valuable tool for policymakers and healthcare providers to simulate and optimize responses to public health crises.

Code

EE280

Topic

Economic Evaluation, Epidemiology & Public Health, Study Approaches

Disease

Infectious Disease (non-vaccine), Respiratory-Related Disorders (Allergy, Asthma, Smoking, Other Respiratory)