Abstract
Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with significant morbidity, mortality
and utilization of health care resources. While the reported incidence of pneumonia
has been relatively stable over time, the hospital discharge rate for pneumonia rose
between 1984 and 1995. The length of stay, however, has continued to fall.
There is considerable variation in how CAP is managed across the United States as
reflected in variations in hospital admission rates, hospital lengths of stay and
the costs of treating a case (both inpatient and outpatient). In 1994 the estimated
cost of an episode of care was $264 for outpatients and $7500 for inpatients (including
hospital and physician care and follow-up care). The total costs associated with treating
CAP were about $10 billion in that year.
Strategies for decreasing the cost of treating CAP include identifying low risk patients
who can safely be treated as outpatients, decreasing lengths of hospital stay, decreasing
the use of emergency departments as sites for initial evaluation, and promoting the
use of lower cost antibiotic therapy.
Key Words:
Community Acquired Pheumonia - outpatient costs - inpatient costs - total costs -
variation in care
