In 2005, the estimated cost to provide health care for 100 patientswith End Stage Liver Disease (ESLD) in the last three to twelve months of their lives exceeded $9.9 million and over 3,670 hospital days. This cost does not include the three to five years priors hospitalizations, surgeries, emergency room, outpatient visits, and prescriptions.
HCV infected individuals will require years of costly inpatient and outpatient hospitalizations and visits, drug prescriptions, emergency department services, surgeries, laboratory service, increased number of readmission rates, and costly continuum of care have the potential to severely impact public and private hospitals.