The costs of myocardial infarction-a longitudinal analysis using data from a large German health insurance company

Aim: Cardiovascular diseases are a major health problem in the industrialised world. The aim of the study was to measure the course of costs after a myocardial infarction. Subject and methods: We undertook a retrospective review of the medical, hospital and drug claims data in the database of a German statutory health insurance company covering about 5 million insured persons. The data of patients suffering from myocardial infarction were extracted by using the documented hospital ICD-10 codes during 2004 and 2005. For these patients we reviewed and summarised all the charges incurred over a 1-year period after the initial index event on the basis of weekly costs and from the third party payer's perspective. Results: We included 15,185 patients with a primary diagnosis of MI-DRG (57.43% male patients, mean age of 71.1 ± 12.6 years). The average weekly total first-year cost of a first myocardial infarction was calculated at about 251 ± 1,077 Euros per patient. The cumulative total cost was about 13,061 ± 1,162 Euros per patient for the first year. The largest burden of the first year after myocardial infarction is due to in-patient stays. This represents approximately 80% of the total costs (about 10,505 ± 1,107 Euros per year and patient). Conclusion: Myocardial infarction is associated with significant economic costs from the perspective of statutory health insurance. This cost burden particularly occurs within the first 2 weeks following a first myocardial infarction. For this reason, efficient management of the acute event is outstandingly important. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.