Impact of Practice Changes on an Antiretroviral Budget in an HIV Care Program

摘要

Background: Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs account for >70% of the direct costs of HIV care. Changing practices in the use of ARV drugs may have major cost implications for the care budget within a regional population. Objective: To characterize and quantify the precise changes in the use of ARV within an entire HIV-infected population and to develop an approach to monitor the cost impact of future changes on the ARV budget. Design, Setting, and Participants: Socio-demographic, clinical, and primary-costing data were obtained from all 1218 HIV-positive patients receiving HIV care and living within southern Alberta, Canada between 1995 and 2003.Main Outcome Measures: Mean per patient per month (PPPM) costs in