Economic Evaluation: Onsite HSV PCR Capabilities for Pediatric Care

OBJECTIVE: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis has an overall mortality rate of 11%–29% with treatment. Although rare, HSV encephalitis is frequently tested for and empirically treated, especially in the neonatal population. HSV infection can be diagnosed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, although this frequently requires sending samples to reference laboratories. The inherent delay in results may lead to prolonging empiric treatment and hospital stay, resulting in increased costs. This study investigates whether onsite HSV PCR testing decreases hospitalization duration, acyclovir treatment duration, and financial cost on an institution. PROJECT DESIGN: This single-center project utilized the IHI model for improvement to evaluate third-party HSV PCR processing versus an implemented onsite PCR-based meningitis–encephalitis panel for HSV central nervous system evaluation. The primary outcome was hospital cost differential with secondary outcomes, including duration of acyclovir administration and time to result. RESULTS: We identified 96 children age 0–18 from 2010 to 2016, 74 patients utilizing offsite third-party testing, and 22 patients utilizing onsite. We observed a per-patient cost savings of $428 ($618.43–$190.43, P = 0.029) upon the implementation of onsite testing. The mean duration of acyclovir therapy decreased from 3.7 to 0.26 days per patient (P < 0.001). Time to result decreased from 4.6 to 0.13 days (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Acquisition of real-time local HSV PCR capabilities significantly decreased time to result and empiric medication use while significantly reducing hospital costs in a military treatment facility.