Analysis on the hospitalization expenses structure and correlation degree of lung cancer: evidence from Shanxi Province, China

TL;DR

This study examines how hospitalization costs for lung cancer patients in Shanxi, China, have changed from 2017 to 2021, finding that drug costs are a major driver.

Contribution

The study introduces new grey correlation analysis to assess hospitalization expense structures in lung cancer patients.

Findings

Hospitalization expenses increased by 27.6% from 2017 to 2021.

Drug expenses showed the strongest correlation with overall hospitalization costs.

Medical material, drug, and treatment expenses were the top contributors to structural changes.

Abstract

Lung cancer is associated with a heavy economic burden in China. In this study, we analyzed the hospitalization expenses of patients with different types of lung cancer and investigated how the expense structure has changed from 2017 to 2021.

A total of 17,721 patients were included. All patients with lung cancer discharged from a tertiary hospital in Shanxi, China. Hospitalization expenses were categorized as drug, treatment, medical material, diagnostic, nursing, operating, and other expenses. All expenses were inflated to the price of 2022. New grey correlation degree and structural change analyses were conducted.

Hospitalization expenses increased from 2017 to 2021 at a rate of 27.6%. Among all components, drug expenses were most significantly associated with hospitalization expenses. The expense structure of the hospitalization expenses also changed, with an overall structural variability of 41.74%. The top three contributors to changes were medical material, drug, and treatment expenses. The expense structure differed across lung cancer types.

In summary, the medical expenses of lung cancer patients are increasing. Although the expense structure has changed, there is still plenty of scope for further optimization.

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