COST ANALYSIS OF INTRA PROCEDURAL RAPID ON SITE EVALUATION OF CYTOPATHOLOGY WITH ENDOBRONCHIAL ULTRASOUND.

Background: Rapid on site evaluation (ROSE) allows immediate processing and interpretation of the aspirate in the procedural suite. It improves diagnostic yield and lowers patient care costs. There are limited data on its cost-effectiveness with endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS).

Methods: We developed an economic model with two arms, no ROSE (our current practice) and simulated ROSE. To simulate ROSE, a cytopathologist retrospectively identified the first diagnostic slide in each case. Using a decision analytic modeling technique under a hospital diagnostic unit perspective, the benefits of simulated ROSE were estimated as cost-savings. The model input was estimated from actual data, consulting experts, and the literature. The benefits were estimated as cost savings per patient and for the province of Alberta per year. Due to differences in the procedure, sarcoidosis and cancer patients were analyzed separately. The costs are shown in 2012 Canadian dollars, CAD.

Results: In our model without ROSE, the procedure cost/patient was CAD 646.00(USD 523.32) for cancer and CAD 1,170.00 (USD 947.73) for sarcoidosis. With simulated ROSE cost savings of CAD 63.00(37.00 to 89.00) [USD 51.04(29.97 to 72.10)], CAD 544.00(490.00 to 598.00) [USD 440.65(397.05 to 484.44)] for cancer and sarcoidosis, respectively. Extrapolating this to provincial data, our model estimates that EBUS with ROSE would lead to savings of CAD 50,000.00(30,000 to 71,000) [USD 40,501.24 (24,300.75 to 57,531.34)] for cancer and CAD 109,000.00 (87,000 to 130,000) [USD 88,337.07 (70,546.45 to 105,313.04) for sarcoidosis.

Conclusion: The use of ROSE with EBUS is cost saving. The projected savings were CAD 50,000.00 (USD 40,501.24) and CAD 109,000.00(USD 88,337.07) in cancer and sarcoidosis, respectively, for the province of Alberta, Canada.