M. Lundstrom et al., Cataract surgery and effectiveness. 1. Variation in costs between different providers of cataract surgery, ACT OPHTH S, 78(3), 2000, pp. 335-339
Purpose: To describe and analyse the cost of cataract surgery in four commu
nity-run eye clinics in Sweden and also to analyse differences in cost betw
een these clinics.
Methods: The average cost of a cataract surgery episode was calculated incl
uding one pre-operative visit, the surgery itself and the post-operative vi
sits. Included in the analysis were the costs of disposables, personnel, re
nt, depreciation, general anaesthesia, bed days and education. Excluded wer
e the costs of complications and overhead costs.
Results: The average cost for one cataract surgery episode was 5052/6915 SE
K (1 Euro =8.57 SEK) with a variation from 4436/6202 to 6130/8293 between t
he clinics. The lower sum represents a minimum cost of personnel, the highe
r sum a maximum cost.
Conclusion: A large variation in costs of cataract surgery was found in fou
r providers of cataract surgery. Nearly all clinics studied had one or more
areas with much higher costs than average.