Last update:
   22-Mar-2023
 

Arch Hellen Med, 40(2), March-April 2023, 245-253

ORIGINAL PAPER

The economic burden of cutaneous malignant melanoma
in the Greek outpatient setting during the 3-year period, 2017–2019

V. Kapaki,1 N. Kotsopoulos,2 A. Constantopoulos,2 K. Mathioudakis,3 K. Souliotis1
1Department of Social and Education Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Peloponnese, Corinth
2Department of Economics – UoA ΜΒΑ, School of Economics and Political Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens
3Department of Social Insurance, General Secretary, Ministry of Health, Directorate of Applications Operation and Support, IDIKA SA, Athens, Greece

OBJECTIVE To quantify direct medical outpatient costs incurred by cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) covered by the national health insurance system in Greece, for the period 2017–2019.

METHOD This study is a prevalence-based, cost-of-illness study, conducted from the perspective of the third-party insurer in Greece. Using an electronic third-party payer database, examinations conducted on, and pharmaceuticals prescribed to Greek patients diagnosed with CMM were collected and converted to costs using local unit costs. Outpatient healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) data were extracted for CMM-related ICD10 codes. Unit costs were obtained from the pharmaceuticals reimbursement lists of the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY) and state tariffs.

RESULTS The total outpatient costs of CMM between 2017 and 2019 amounted to € 74,007,121 (€ 29,039,029 in 2019, € 24,093,994 and € 20,874,097 in 2018 and 2017, respectively). Pharmaceutical costs accounted for 92.6% and examination costs 8.4% of total outpatient expenditure. Male patients incurred slightly higher total outpatient costs than female patients. Radiological examinations, and protein kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies accounted for the major proportion of outpatient examination and pharmaceutical treatment costs, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS The currently available and emerging diagnostic procedures and the high-cost, innovative, but effective, pharmaceutical treatment for CMM create the need to generate evidence of costs and outcomes for patients receiving different levels care. The diagnosis and treatment of CMM incur a considerable and escalating cost to the healthcare system in Greece. This study was a real-world cost-of-illness study, conducted to provide information for the health policy decision-makers, at all stages, on the magnitude of CMM-attributable outpatient costs, to assist them in efficient health resource allocation.

Key words: Cost-of-illness study, Cutaneous malignant melanoma, Outpatient setting, Real-world data.

© Archives of Hellenic Medicine