Cost Analysis of the Blood Collection at the Patient’s Home Compared with the Blood Collection at the Hospital

Abstract

The cost data of the home blood collection project was compared with the current blood collection service. Using direct and indirect cost data from full cost data, including output data for the number of outpatient services, and assessing the cost per unit cost or average cost of services together with the standard costing method of calculating the cost of medical services. Only the cost per unit of medical technology services, medical record and statistics services, and finance and accounting services were calculated. The cost per visit for blood collection services was 21.37 USD. The direct non-medical costs of the blood collection service at the hospital were 30.62 USD. The cost structure of the blood collection at the hospital is mostly fixed (95% of the total cost) and only 5 percent is variable, while the home service can save the cost by about 50% (the cost at the hospital is 30.62 USD, compared to 15.34 USD at home). So, the blood collection at home can reduce the patient's cost burden by 50 percent and the hospital’s cost by 5 percent, as well as being able to respond to the policy of reducing congestion in hospitals during the pandemic situation.