Estimated cost of inpatient admissions and outpatient appointments for a population with epilepsy: a record linkage study.

PURPOSE

This study describes the hospital costs for a population with epilepsy in 1 year (1999). The study was conducted in a defined geographic United Kingdom population of 424,000.

METHODS

A register of patients with epilepsy was constructed by using a variety of data sources that had undergone a process of record linkage. Hospital admissions were coded by using Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) and costed by using published National Health Service reference costs. A population of 3,892 people with epilepsy was recorded.

RESULTS

The cost of inpatient care for these patients with epilepsy was pound 2,537,386 ($4,135,939), an excess of pound 1,598,909 ($2,606,222) compared with the population as a whole. Of this, pound 320,182 ($521,897) was associated with a primary diagnosis of epilepsy, and pound 679,757 ($1,108,004) was associated with secondary diagnoses. Outpatient expenditure was pound 732,823 ($1,194,501).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that people with epilepsy use excess resources and that this is not explained solely by either the direct or indirect effects of their epilepsy. These data may help in understanding of the complex issues surrounding the health economics of epilepsy.