Healthcare Costs at the End of Life for Patients with Non-cancer Diseases and Cancer in Denmark

Anne Høy Seemann Vestergaard (), Lars Holger Ehlers, Mette Asbjoern Neergaard, Christian Fynbo Christiansen, Jan Brink Valentin and Søren Paaske Johnsen
Additional contact information
Anne Høy Seemann Vestergaard: Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital
Lars Holger Ehlers: Aalborg University and Aalborg University Hospital
Mette Asbjoern Neergaard: Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital
Christian Fynbo Christiansen: Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital
Jan Brink Valentin: Aalborg University and Aalborg University Hospital
Søren Paaske Johnsen: Aalborg University and Aalborg University Hospital

PharmacoEconomics - Open, 2023, vol. 7, issue 5, No 5, 764 pages

Abstract: Abstract Objectives To examine costs of care from a healthcare sector perspective within 1 year before death in patients with non-cancer diseases and patients with cancer. Methods This nationwide registry-based study identified all Danish citizens dying from major non-cancer diseases or cancer in 2010–2016. Applying the cost-of-illness method, we included costs of somatic hospitals, including hospital-based specialist palliative care, primary care, prescription medicine and hospice expressed in 2022 euros. Costs of patients with non-cancer diseases and cancer were compared using regression analyses adjusting for sex, age, comorbidity, residential region, marital/cohabitation status and income level. Results Within 1 year before death, mean total healthcare costs were €27,185 [95% confidence interval (CI) €26,970–27,401] per patient with non-cancer disease (n = 109,723) and €51,348 (95% CI €51,098–51,597) per patient with cancer (n = 108,889). The adjusted relative total healthcare costs, i.e. the ratio of the mean costs, of patients with non-cancer diseases was 0.64 (95% CI 0.63–0.66) at 12 months before death and 0.91 (95% CI 0.90–0.92) within 30 days before death compared with patients with cancer. Mean costs of hospital-based specialist palliative care and hospice in the year leading up to death were €17 (95% CI €13–20) and €90 (95% CI €77–102) per patient with non-cancer disease but €1552 (95% CI €1506–1598) and €3411 (95% CI €3342–3480) per patient with cancer. Conclusions Within 1 year before death, total healthcare costs, mainly driven by hospital costs, were substantially lower for patients with non-cancer diseases compared with patients with cancer. Moreover, the costs of hospital-based specialist palliative care and hospice were minimal for patients with non-cancer diseases.

Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41669-023-00430-1 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:pharmo:v:7:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1007_s41669-023-00430-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/adis/journal/41669

DOI: 10.1007/s41669-023-00430-1

Access Statistics for this article

PharmacoEconomics - Open is currently edited by Timothy Wrightson and Christopher Carswell

More articles in PharmacoEconomics - Open from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().