Costs Considerations
Surgeons performed 553,000 CABG procedures in 1998 in the United States, including 217,000 repeat operations,[43] and the average operation cost $44,820.[113] This totaled about $26 billion per year in the United States alone. Worldwide cost figures have not been published.
The frequency of performing diagnostic coronary angiography procedures increased by about 8.5% per year from 1979 to 1998, totaling 1.3 million in 1998.[43] The average fee of $12,450[43] translates into a total cost of more than $16 billion.
From 1987 to 1998, the rate of performing coronary angioplasty procedures has increased about 25% per year (539,000 procedures in 1998) with an average fee of $20,370 in 1995 dollars.[113] This gives about $11 billion of cost overall.
In contrast, aggressive lifestyle modification as described by Ornish costs about $7500 in the first year and nominally more thereafter.[114] Currently, about 40 insurance companies cover Ornish's lifestyle modification program, and Medicare is considering covering it.[114] The potential savings to the US economy of shifting the emphasis on CAD treatment from invasive cardiology procedures to lifestyle modification is substantial.
© 2002 Medscape
Cite this: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG): Reassessing Efficacy, Safety, and Cost - Medscape - Jun 19, 2002.
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