Analysis of the first inpatient expenditure for cervical cancer patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a provincial maternal and children care hospital in China.

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 has led to economic difficulties for many cancer patients. This study aimed to identify the trend and the major cost items of inpatient expenditure for the admittance to hospital for cervical cancer patients in Hunan Province Maternal and Children Care Hospital from 2017 to 2021.

METHODS

This study assessed the composition of inpatient expenditure using the gray correlation method and the variation in the hospitalization expense structure using the degree of structural variation.

RESULTS

A total of 909 patients were identified. The median age of the patients was 49±10.25 years. Insurance payments for cancer patients accounted for 33.51% before the COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2019) but increased to 80.29% during the pandemic (2020-2021). Diagnosis costs accounted for the largest proportion of medical expenditure every year and showed an increasing trend during the study period. Although the consumables cost accounted for the lowest proportion of total costs each year, they showed a fluctuating growth trend with an average annual growth rate of 23.54%, which was the only fluctuation cost of the six constituents. Drug cost had the only positive value for the structural variation of total medical expenditure over the five years.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of hospitalization expenses paid by insurance after COVID-19 is higher than that paid before COVID-19. Attention should be paid to the rising costs of drugs after the COVID-19 pandemic and reasonable control should be maintained for the diagnosis costs to reduce the total expenditure on cervical cancer patients after COVID-19.