Evaluation of Direct Medical Costs in Hospitalized Diabetic Patients After Health Reform Plan

Diabetes is one of the most expensive chronic diseases and a global public health problem. One of the objectives of implementing the Health Reform Plan (HRP) was to reduce the out-of-pocket payments for hospitalized patients. The present study was carried out with the aim of determining the direct medical costs in hospitalized diabetic patients after implementation of the HRP.

This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019. The records of diabetic patients hospitalized in Imam-Ali Hospital of Zahedan from March 2017 to June 2018 was reviewed by the census method and the direct medical costs were recorded in a researcher-made checklist. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 22

In this study, the direct medical costs of 704 hospitalized diabetic patients were evaluated. The majority of the study population was female (517, 73/5%) and 237 had gestational diabetes. The mean direct medical cost per hospitalized diabetic patient was 29,264,465 Rials and the mean out-of-pocket payment was 11.8%. Moreover, direct medical costs of diabetic patients increased with age (P<.001).

Diabetic hospital care imposes a high burden on basic health insurance. Despite the HRP, out-of-pocket payments for hospitalized diabetics are still significant. Government subsidies should focus on expanding access to care for diabetics, financial protection for disadvantaged residents and expanding public education on diabetes.