Costs of the chain of procedures in breast cancer in excellence and specialized Brazilian hospitals

Abstract

This article presents the methodology and results of a field research of the cost of the breast cancer, which contemplated ten excellence and specialized Brazilian hospitals, as indicated by the Brazilian Health Ministry. Among the results, it can be highlighted: the accuracy of the use of the procedure chain for this pathology in the determination of costs, based upon the official medical protocols; references with regard to the diagnostic and treatment incidence taken from the database from Fundação Oncocentro do estado de São Paulo – the widest in the country; the fact that the most expensive procedures do not present statistically relevant variations between the hospitals, regardless of its location, predominant clientele or business nature; and the fact that the hospital that treat predominantly Brazilian Health National System (SUS) do register slightly smaller costs, although not statistically relevant, for the whole chain of procedures associated.