Abstract
Little is known about diagnostic work-ups and the costs of diagnosing dementia in specialized care. Here, we analysed the costs of diagnosing dementia according to specific dementia disorders. A prospective descriptive design was used to analyse cost of diagnosing dementia for 120 patients with suspected dementia at a German memory clinic. Durations of clinical consultations and the utilization of technical procedures were recorded by the memory clinic staff. To detect cost drivers, a multiple linear regression model was conducted. 44% of patients with suspect dementia were formally diagnosed with dementia. Total cost per patient and diagnostic process valued 499€ across all patients, and 655€ for patients finally diagnosed with dementia. Cost varied between 599€ for patients with the final diagnosis Alzheimérs diseases, 622€ for patients with vascular or mixed dementia and 963€ for patients with unspecific dementia. A final diagnosis of dementia was the only factor significantly associated with cost of the diagnostic process (b=346, CI– 180, CI+ 512, p=0.001). High range of costs reflects differences in diagnostic demands depending dementia etiology. These variety needs to be transferred into reimbursement. Further studies are needed to assess the influence of the type of cognitive impairment and the settings on diagnostic costs.
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