[Comparative study of actual costs of radiotherapy and its value].

PURPOSE

Financial costs from "Z" procedures were evaluated and compared with the amount of direct costs that are needed for the annual activity of a radiation oncology department.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The various components, particularly staff earnings that are estimated for each procedure according to their category and working time, were cumulated for calculation of direct loads.

RESULTS

Comparisons between direct expenses and the total amount of Z procedures led to the following results: the global cost is the same; at analysis of therapeutic procedures, however, this apparent similarity masks some very significant gaps; valorization of Z procedures is much lower than that of the corresponding real loads, especially when therapeutic procedures are quite different from techniques that are considered as "standard"; these differences do not apply to all the components of radiation therapy procedures. In particular, medical steps would be uniformly underestimated, while irradiation per se is overestimated.

CONCLUSION

The authors suggest modifications of the general objectives and items of the nomenclature of radiotherapy and brachytherapy procedures.