Comparing the Hospital Costs of the Neonates Admitted to NICU of Amirkola Children's Hospital Before and After the Implementation of the Health Sector Reform in Iran

Background: The cost-effective strategies are of paramount importance in the improvement of neonatal health services. Regarding this, the present study aimed to evaluate the health sector reform of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its impact on hospital costs related to the admission of neonates in Amirkola Children's Hospital.Methods: This observational analytic study was conducted in 2015 to evaluate the hospital records of all neonates admitted to Amirkola Children's Hospital during late 2013 (before the implementation of health sector reform in Iran) and late 2014 (after the implementation of this reform).Results: According to the results, the number of the neonates admitted to this center has increased by 11% after reform. Furthermore, the mean total hospital cost and share of insurance organizations have elevated by 2.2 and 2.5 fold, respectively. Mean of the cost paid by the patients has reached to 2.7 million Rials, which has had a 33% decrease, compared to that of the pre-reform stage. Additionally, 5.8% of the total expenditures related to neonatal inpatient cares were paid out-of-pocket.Conclusion: As the findings of the present study indicated, the health sector reform in Iran has increased the rate of neonatal admission and decreased the amount of direct payment by the people.