Cost-effectiveness of hospital-based treatment compared with community treatment centres: an analysis of Korea National Health Insurance claims data.

Objectives: We compared the cost-effectiveness of hospital-based treatment and that of community treatment centres (CTCs).
Design: We performed statistical analysis to compare the expenses incurred by COVID-19 patients who received hospital care with those incurred by COVID-19 patients who went to CTCs.
Setting and Participants: A study was conducted on 411 530 COVID-19 inpatients and 243 329 CTC patients from January 2020 to December 2021.
Main Outcome Measures: We calculated the probability of severe disease, hospitalisation period and medical expenses for inpatients and CTC patients. Subsequently, we analysed the cost-effectiveness of CTC compared with hospitalisation.
Results: Comparing medical expenses, CTC patients incurred 2 220 000 KRW on average, which is less than the expenses incurred by hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
Conclusions: The study suggests that using a CTC may be more cost-effective than a hospital service alone.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.
(© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)