The cost of caring for patients with tuberculosis: Planning for a disease on the rise

Objective: An economic analysis was conducted for all patients with a primary diagnosis of tuberculosis admitted to a university hospital for a 1-year period in 1992. Design: The economic analysis was conducted by using the hospital billing system to capture resource use for patients with tuberculosis and cost-to-charge ratios to estimate hospital costs. Setting: A university teaching hospital. Patients: Patients with a primary diagnosis of tuberculosis were included in the study. Results: The average length of stay for patients was 22.7 days on initial admission to the hospital and 13.5 days on readmission. The average cost of care was $27,109 for initial admission, $13,094 for readmission, and $20,222 when all patients were included. Conclusion: Room costs were the most significant contributor to the total cost of care, followed by laboratory costs and ancillary hospital costs. We calculate the average cost for caring for a patient with tuberculosis at approximately $20,000 per year.