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© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Simple Summary

Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a new surgical procedure used in the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancies (PSMs). Despite encouraging clinical results, the high costs of PIPAC and the need to repeat the treatment multiple times make the procedure difficult to sustain economically. A retrospective study was conducted in order to evaluate the cost of hospitalization for patients undergoing PIPAC treatment at a high-volume center in Italy. Currently, the Italian National Health System only partially covers the hospitals’ costs. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an economical redefinition of this procedure, by creating dedicated reimbursement codes.

Abstract

PIPAC is a new surgical procedure and a viable treatment option for PSM patients, due to promising therapeutic outcomes, minimal invasiveness, limited surgical morbidity, and systemic toxicity side effects. However, its implementation throughout hospitals is hard to obtain due to its fragile economical sustainability. A retrospective health economic analysis was conducted in order to evaluate the cost of hospitalization for patients undergoing PIPAC treatment at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, IRCCS, in Rome. The average cost of a PIPAC procedure was defined based on the cost of surgery (cost of surgical material, operating room, intraperitoneal chemotherapy), hospital stay, diagnostic examinations, and drugs used during the stay. A total of 493 PIPAC procedures were performed on 222 patients with peritoneal metastases or primary peritoneal cancer from 2017 to 2023. Since the mean remuneration for each PIPAC hospitalization is €5916 and the mean expenditure per hospitalization is €6538, this results in an operating profit per PIPAC hospitalization of −€622. The reimbursement of PIPAC treatment by the Italian National Health System currently only partially covers the hospital’s costs. Development of specific codes and adequate reimbursement for PIPAC by recognizing this procedure as a proper treatment for peritoneal carcinomatosis is essential.

Details

Title
How to Implement Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy into a National Health System Scenario: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis of Costs and Economic Sustainability at a High-Volume Italian Hospital
Author
Aulicino, Matteo 1 ; Orsini, Cecilia 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Giorgio D’Annibale 1 ; Barberis, Lorenzo 1 ; Catania, Paolo 1 ; Abatini, Carlo 2 ; Miriam Attalla El Halabieh 2 ; Ferracci, Federica 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lodoli, Claudio 2 ; Santullo, Francesco 2 ; Pacelli, Fabio 3 ; Andrea Di Giorgio 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 General Surgery Department, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy 
 Surgical Unit of Peritoneum and Retroperitoneum Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy 
 General Surgery Department, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; Surgical Unit of Peritoneum and Retroperitoneum Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy 
First page
2637
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20726694
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3090882760
Copyright
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.