# Costs of hospital admissions due to COVID-19 in the federal capital of Brazil: a study based on hospital admission authorizations

## TL;DR

This study analyzed the costs of hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Brazil's capital, finding a significant economic burden on the healthcare system.

## Contribution

The study provides a detailed macro-costing analysis of hospital admissions for SARI due to COVID-19 in Brazil.

## Key findings

- The total cost of hospitalizations for 2020 and 2021 was R$ 2,875,867.18.
- 86.41% of costs were for hospital services, and 13.59% for professional services.
- The highest median cost per patient was in May 2020, and the lowest in January 2021.

## Abstract

This is a cost analysis study based on hospital admissions, conducted from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), carried out in a cohort of patients hospitalized at the University Hospital of Brasília (UHB) due to Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) caused by COVID-19, from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022. An approach based on macro-costing was used, considering the costs per patient identified in the Hospital Admission Authorizations (HAA). Were identified 1,015 HAA from 622 patients. The total cost of hospitalizations was R$ 2,875,867.18 for 2020 and 2021. Of this total, 86.41 % referred to hospital services and 13.59 % to professional services. The highest median cost per patient identified was for May 2020 (R$ 19,677.81 IQR [3,334.81–33,041.43]), while the lowest was in January 2021 (R$ 1,698.50 IQR [1,602.70–2,224.11]). The high cost of treating patients with COVID-19 resulted in a high economic burden of SARI due to COVID-19 for UHB and, consequently, for SUS.