Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy. Management of serious infections. Part I: Medical, socioeconomic, and legal issues. Costs and benefits.

The costs of outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy are outweighed by the benefits to all involved: provider, payer, patient, and society. Simple comparisons of inpatient and outpatient charges are not a true measure of costs. Recent in-depth cost-benefit analyses reveal a significant saving when indirect benefits, such as increased productivity and quality of life, are included. Even so, financial issues remain to be addressed.