Differentiation of Out-of-Pocket Expenditures in Cancer Patients; A Case Study in the Cancer Institute of Iran
Journal Title: Evidence Based Health Policy, Management & Economics - Year 2017, Vol 1, Issue 2
Abstract
Background: The Cancer Institute of Iran, located in Tehran (Iran’s capital city), is a national specialized center for cancer. Cancer patients from all over the country refer to it. This study compared the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures of patients from Tehran and patients from other parts of Iran who were hospitalized in this center. Methods: This cross-sectional study included all patients over 18 years of age with head and neck or digestive system cancer who were actively undergoing primary treatment in the Cancer Institute of Iran located in Tehran (the capital city). Data was collected through a structured interview with the patients themselves and/or their companions and then analyzed using SPSS16 software. Results: Direct medical costs of patients from Tehran were much higher than those of patients from other provinces. In contrast, the average direct non-medical costs including transportation, accommodation, food, etc. of patients from other provinces were significantly higher than those of patients from Tehran, and 53% of patients borrowed money for their treatments. Conclusion: It seems necessary to develop new supportive policies to alleviate financial costs for cancer patients and help them manage their cancers effectively. Patients from the provinces faced additional costs for travel, food, and accommodations which complicated their access to special services. Establishing and improving specialized cancer centers in other cities can reduce the burden of out-of-pocket expenditures for patients from remote areas.
Authors and Affiliations
Aboghasem Pourreza, Iraj Harirchi, Mohammad Bazyar
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP302494
- DOI -
- Views 124
- Downloads 0
Time Series Analysis of Determinants of Health Care Expenditure in Iran: A Bound Test Cointegration Approach
Background: specifying the determinants of healthcare expenditure is one of the most important challenges in the health sector. The current study was aimed to assess factors affecting government health care expenditure i...
Designing a Financial Resource Allocation Model Using Goal Programming Approach: A Case Study of a hospital in Iran
Background: Prioritization and resource allocation are the most important processes in managing and developing each organization. Given the high turnover and cost of hospitals in health system, this study aimed to provid...
Developing a Hospital Managerial Performance Assessment Tool in Iran
Background: Performance assessment tries to find the best, valid and cost-effective way of measuring performance and work satisfaction. There are several indicators for health systems performance evaluation which ignore...
Correlation between Organizational Learning and Accreditation of Educational Care Centers: A Case Study in Ardabil
Background: Considering the importance of organizational learning and its impact on health accreditation, the present study investigates the level of learning and its relationship with accreditation and its promotion str...
Socioeconomic Inequality in Health Care Utilization: A Study of Service Utilization in Yazd, Iran
Background: Determining the inequality in health and the gap level among various socio-economic groups and factors affecting it were always concerns of most politicians and social scientists. This study investigated ineq...