Savings from outpatient antibiotic therapy for osteomyelitis. Economic analysis of a therapeutic strategy
J. M. Eisenberg and D. S. Kitz
Clinical, economic, and epidemiologic data were used to compare the costs
of conventional inpatient care of osteomyelitis with the costs of
early-discharge treatment using a once-daily parenteral antibiotic at home.
Estimated expenses included inpatient medical care, outpatient visits,
supplies, child care, home care, transportation, and lost productivity.
Early-discharge treatment was associated with lower medical direct,
non-medical direct, and indirect expenses than conventional inpatient
treatment. Estimated savings per patient ranged from $510 to $22,232
(demonstrating the wide differences in estimated savings when different
sources of data on hospital costs are used). These savings are due to large
decreases in inpatient costs, which are partially offset by increased
outpatient costs. However, because outpatient costs are more often borne by
patients than are inpatient costs, early-discharge treatment could be more
expensive from the patient's perspective, despite its savings for the
hospital and for society as a whole.
