Conclusions
Our investigation found that the chief driver of the cost differences between the quick diagnosis units of a tertiary and secondary hospital was the ratio of successive/first visits. Although a higher total number of visits and successive/first visits ratio resulted in a higher mean total cost per patient in the unit of the tertiary hospital, statistical significance was not reached. Significant differences were only observed for costs of personnel and indirect costs, which were higher in the unit of the tertiary center. A greater diagnostic and clinical complexity of the patients managed at this unit added to the own characteristics of this type of major hospital such as the volume of patients and staff and the contribution of staff time were the leading factors contributing to the observed differences.
The results from this study justify additional research efforts to replicate and validate the favorable economic outcomes of these units in other healthcare settings and inform policy decisions on spending priorities that are relevant for hospital-based ambulatory care and quick diagnosis units.