Study Estimates Billable Per Patient Costs of Providing PrEP

Annual billable costs associated with providing preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to a patient at risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are an estimated $1653 in Chicago, Illinois, and $1941 in Washington, DC, according to study results published in Public Health Reports.

“Our analysis, which provides PrEP billable cost estimates based on empirical data, may help inform health care providers who are considering implementing this HIV prevention strategy,” wrote corresponding author Ram K. Shrestha, PhD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, and coauthors.

The retrospective study investigated clinic billing records and Current Procedural Terminology coding for the 12 months after an initial PrEP prescription for 482 patients at a community health center in Chicago and for 56 patients at a community health center in Washington, DC. Patients received daily oral PrEP, and each center followed clinical practice guidelines for PrEP provision, including regular visits with health care providers and laboratory monitoring.

Over the 12 months after the first PrEP prescription, patients at the Chicago site each averaged 5.1 visits and 25.2 laboratory screens. At the Washington, DC, site, patients averaged 5.4 visits and 24.8 screens, researchers reported.

Annual PrEP billable costs per patient, in 2017 US dollars, averaged $583 for clinic visits and $1070 for laboratory screens in Chicago. In Washington, DC, patients averaged $923 in clinic visits and $1018 in laboratory screens, according to the study.

Reference:
Shrestha RK, Davis N, Coleman M, Rusie LK, Smith DK. Costs of providing preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention at community health centers in the United States. Public Health Rep. Published online November 8, 2022. doi: 10.1177/00333549221133071