i
Estimated Costs of False Laboratory Diagnoses of Tuberculosis in Three Patients
-
Nov 2002
Source: Emerg Infect Dis. 8(11):1264-1270.
[PDF-337.60 KB]
Details:
-
Alternative Title:Emerg Infect Dis
-
Personal Author:
-
Description:We estimated direct medical and nonmedical costs associated with a false diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) caused by laboratory cross-contamination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures in Massachusetts in 1998 and 1999. For three patients who received misdiagnoses of active TB disease on the basis of laboratory cross-contamination, the costs totaled U.S. dollars 32618. Of the total, 97% was attributed to the public sector (local and state health departments, public health hospital and laboratory, and county and state correctional facilities); 3% to the private sector (physicians, hospitals, and laboratories); and <1% to the patient. Hospitalizations and inpatient tests, procedures, and TB medications accounted for 69% of costs, and outpatient TB medications accounted for 18%. The average cost per patient was dollars 10873 (range, dollars 1033-dollars 21306). Reducing laboratory cross-contamination and quickly identifying patients with cross-contaminated cultures can prevent unnecessary and potentially dangerous treatment regimens and anguish for the patient and financial burden to the health-care system.
-
Subject:
-
Document Type:
-
Place as Subject:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
File Type:
Email
CDC-INFO
