Activity based cost analysis of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in the nuclear medicine department of a tertiary care teaching hospital

Introduction: The rising disease burden worldwide has posed enormous pressure on healthcare to provide cost-effective treatment. In this scenario, it becomes imperative for hospitals to efficiently utilize the resources and there is requirement of accurate cost analysis of healthcare procedures. Role of Nuclear Medicine has become indispensable in diagnosing and prognosticating varied number of diseases. So that necessitates a balanced utilization of such procedures when the resources are limited. Aim: To analyze the unit cost of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in Nuclear Medicine department of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Material and Method: It was an observational, descriptive and cross sectional study carried out in the Nuclear medicine department of Sheri-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences for a period of one year. Activity based costing method was used to evaluate and analyze the unit cost of various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures Results: The unit cost of procedures performed in the Nuclear medicine department varied from Rs.1190 for RAIU (Radioactive Iodine Uptake) to Rs.11075 for High dose I-131 therapy. The most cost effective investigation was found to be cardiac MIBI scan with a unit cost of Rs. 2893.2 followed by bone scan when compared with tariffs of other Nuclear Medicine facility. It was found that the study hospital is already providing most of the nuclear scan services at much subsidized rates and the rates haven’t been revised since many years. Conclusion: ABC methodology provides a structured approach in analyzing activities, cost services, reducing costs, and improving quality.