| [ Summary ] |
An important contributor to the low popularity of home hemodialysis (HHD) may be the assumption among health care providers that it is an unprofitable option. However, in reality, the profitability of HHD is higher than that of hospital dialysis. The misunderstanding regarding the economic burden of HHD could be attributed to the following factors: (1) Although the medical fee-for-service is disclosed at the time of initiation of therapy, expenses may differ across hospitals/medical centers because estimating the revenue vs. expenditure is often difficult. (2) Budgeting for home installation of the equipment is a logistically complex activity (i.e., purchasing the dialysis monitoring/reverse osmosis devices and personnel costs for initial patient training). Personnel costs for in-hospital dialysis constitute nearly 50 % of the expenses, which is an ongoing expense. In contrast, personnel costs for HHD constitute 10-20 % of the total costs; thus, the installation costs are recoupable within 2-3 years. Profitability, after recouping the initial costs, is much higher with HHD than with hospital dialysis, indicating that HHD is not only beneficial for maintaining patient health but is also a financially viable option for medical care providers. |