Costs of ulcerative colitis within the German Statutory Health Insurance

Background and objectives: Studies estimating the costs of ulcerative colitis (UC) within the German setting are limited. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to collect data on the overall costs arising from the care of patients with UC and to quantify this expenditure as incurred by the German Statutory Health Insurance (SHI). Methods: Between March 2006 and July 2007 patients from 24 ambulatory gastroenterologist practices and two hospitals were enrolled in an internet-based database. Outpatient and inpatient visits, all procedures as well as drug usage were obtained from the collected data and evaluated from the perspective of the SHI, taking also into account statutory discounts and patients' co-payments. The year 2007 was selected as the pricing period. Results: Data from 519 patients with UC were collected (gender ratio 1:1; average age 46 years). The average annual cost per UC patient to the SHI is 2,477.72 Euro, 74 % of this amount results from drug usage, 10% from inpatient care and another 10% from ambulatory procedures. Costs increase with the severity of the disease. Conclusion: This is the first study to calculate the costs caused by UC and payed by the SHI in Germany. Future research should focus on collecting longitudinal data and also on comparing the resources used in the care of patients with other inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease.