Economic Impact of a New Rapid PCR Assay for Detecting Influenza Virus in an Emergency Department and Hospitalized Patients

PLoS One. 2016 Jan 20;11(1):e0146620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146620. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Seasonal influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality and has a substantial economic impact on the healthcare system. The main objective of this study was to compare the cost per patient for a rapid commercial PCR assay (Xpert® Flu) with an in-house real-time PCR test for detecting influenza virus. Community patients with influenza like-illness attending the Emergency Department (ED) as well as hospitalized patients in the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona were included. Costs were evaluated from the perspective of the hospital considering the use of resources directly related to influenza testing and treatment. For the purpose of this study, 366 and 691 patients were tested in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The Xpert® Flu test reduced the mean waiting time for patients in the ED by 9.1 hours and decreased the mean isolation time of hospitalized patients by 23.7 hours. This was associated with a 103€ (or about $113) reduction in the cost per patient tested in the ED and 64€ ($70) per hospitalized patient. Sensitivity analyses showed that Xpert® Flu is likely to be cost-saving in hospitals with different contexts and prices.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Emergency Service, Hospital*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Influenza A virus*
  • Influenza, Human / blood*
  • Influenza, Human / economics
  • Male
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / economics
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Grants and funding

This study was partially funded by Cepheid. Study sponsors had no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors made the final decisions about when and where to publish the data. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility for the decision to submit it for publication. Marcelo Soto received financial support from Plataforma ITEMAS PT13/0006/0009 (FCRB PI043029).