Treatment charges for acute coronary syndrome: A retrospective analysis.

Background: This study analyzes the costs associated with treatment strategies for acute coronary syndrome: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and medical management (MM).

Methods: This is a substudy of a previous analysis showing improved outcomes with CABG compared to PCI and MM, now focusing on variation in charges based on the type of treatment, hospital length of stay (LOS), and the occurrence of hospital readmission. We extracted total reimbursements, LOS, and readmissions for acute coronary syndrome patients (4267) between 2018 and 2022 from the electronic health record.

Results: Expenses related to total charges were higher for CABG patients than PCI patients (+$106,047); however, average daily charges were lower for CABG patients compared to PCI patients (+$14,957). LOS was a primary driver for total charges, as CABG patients stayed 8.35 ± 0.50 days longer than PCI patients on average. The average difference between the total charge amount for readmitted and nonreadmitted patients was $22,765 ± $11,820. Even though readmission increases total charges, the charge per day was still less in patients with readmission due to their longer LOS.

Conclusion: The higher total charge amount and lower charge per day in CABG patients compared to PCI patients, as well as readmitted patients, highlights the importance of employing strategies to reduce LOS and minimize charges for CABG and readmissions.