background to estimate the total annual cost due to chronic hepatitis b (chb)-related diseases imposed on each patient and his/her family in iran.   methods economic burden of chb-related diseases (chb, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma) were examined. in this retrospective study, 100 iranian patients were identified to obtain their socioeconomic status, utilization (direct and indirect c...

Background There is limited evidence on the course of health service costs before and after psychiatric inpatient treatment, which might also be affected by source of cost data. Thus, this study examines: i) differences in health care costs before and after psychiatric inpatient treatment, ii) whether these differences vary by source of cost-data (self-report vs. administrative), and iii) predi...

Background and Objective: This study assessed price differences by comparing annual treatment costs of similarly available orphan drugs in France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and UK. Methods: Annual treatment costs per drug were calculated using ex-factory prices from IHS POLI and country price databases. The treatment cost in the comparator country was compared to the UK and ratios ...

BACKGROUND A small group of frequent visitors to Emergency Departments accounts for a disproportionally large fraction of healthcare consumption including unplanned hospitalizations and overall healthcare costs. In response, several case and disease management programs aimed at reducing healthcare consumption in this group have been tested; however, results vary widely. OBJECTIVES To investig...

Failed back surgery syndrome is a common problem with enormous costs to patients, insurers, and society. The etiology of failed back surgery can be poor patient selection, incorrect diagnosis, suboptimal selection of surgery, poor technique, failure to achieve surgical goals, and/or recurrent pathology. Successful intervention in this difficult patient population requires a detailed history, pr...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Better selection of patients for intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) treatment may improve clinical outcomes. We examined the cost-effectiveness of adding penumbral-based MRI to usual computed tomography (CT)-based methods to identify patients for IV tPA treatment. METHODS A decision-analytic model estimated the lifetime costs and outcomes asso...

background and objectives: visit length is a crucial aspect of patient-physician relationship that its inadequacy can negatively influence the treatment efficiency. studies on visit length and the factors influencing it are limited in developing countries. thus, the objective of this study was to survey this variable at provincial level, and provide data on factors affecting it.   methods: a sa...

Introduction: Radiotherapy with heavy charged particles such as protons and carbon ions (hadron therapy) has been recognized as an advanced technique for the treatment of various cancers. For some indications such as pediatric and radio-resistant tumors, it is considered the preferred method. However, despite its remarkable benefits, development of hadron therapy centers in the...

Costs of neurogenic bladder vary widely and depend on a number of factors including severity of disease, symptomatology, patient insurance, and devices required. Recognition of how each treatment strategy will impact the patient financially could help guide selection of treatment as well as improve compliance with the chosen regimen. We have attempted to provide an overview of long term cost co...