Cost-benefit analysis of Intensive Care Unit with Activity-Based Costing approach in the era COVID-19 pandemic: A case study from Iran

BACKGROUND: Providing intensive care to acute patients is a vital part of health systems. However, the high cost of Intensive Care Units (ICU) has limited their development, especially in low-income countries. Due to the increasing need for intensive care and limited resources, ICU cost management is important. This study aimed to analyze the cost-benefit of ICU during COVID-19 in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study is an economic evaluation of health interventions. The study was conducted in the COVID-19 dedicated ICU, from the provider’s point of view and within one-year horizon. Costs were calculated using a top-down approach and the Activity-Based Costing technique. Benefits were extracted from the hospital’s HIS system. Benefit Cost ratio (BCR) and Net Present Value (NPV) indexes were used for cost-benefit analysis (CBA). A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the dependence of the CBA results on the uncertainties in the cost data. Analysis was performed with Excel and STATA software. RESULTS: The studied ICU had 43 personnel, 14 active beds, a 77% bed occupancy rate, and 3959 occupied bed days. The total costs were $2,372,125.46 USD, of which 70.3% were direct costs. The highest direct cost was related to human resources. The total net income was $1,213,314.13 USD. NPV and BCR were obtained as $-1,158,811.32 USD and 0.511 respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite operating with a relatively high capacity, ICU has had high losses during the COVID-19. Proper management and re-planning in the structure of human resources is recommended due to its importance in the hospital economy, provision of resources based on needs assessment, improvement of drugs management, reduction of insurance deductions in order to reduce costs and improve ICU productivity.