Cost of an intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (IPCH) related to cytoreductive surgery

A complete cytoreductive surgery followed with an intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (IPCH) is a new treatment allowing curing some patients with a peritoneal carcinomatosis. The cost of this treatment, evaluated in different countries, is high. In France, we do not have any cost evaluation of this therapy, and this state slows its diffusion in our country. The aim of this study is to evaluate the real cost of maximal cytoreductive surgery with IPCH, and to compare it with the financial support given by the Ministery of Health. The real cost of this therapy was established on the standard analytic accountancy of our Institute. The analysis of the financial support received was done after the classification of the patients in the current official diagnosis-related groups, and according to the current rates of reimbursing of these acts. Seventy-three patients were treated with IPCH in our Institute during 2002 and 2003. The real mean cost for our hospital was 39,358 euros per patient, with a mean hospital staying of 27.7 days. In counterpart, our hospital received a mean financial support of 20,485 euros, resulting in a deficit of 18,873 euros per patient (and close to 1.4 million of euros for the two years). Our current classification of diagnosis-related groups does not allow to describe the real importance of this therapy which combines a maximal cytoreductive surgery with IPCH. In our system of reimbursing, the hospital which offers this type of new therapy to its patients receives only half of the real rate. Two correctives measures are suitable: to describe this combining treatment in the official list of medical acts, and to determine its specific cost for reimbursing.