At a glance
The National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention's Epidemiologic and Economic Modeling Agreement (NEEMA) supports projects that address priority diseases and populations. NEEMA funds projects that focus on tuberculosis (TB)-related outcomes and populations.
NEEMA 3.0 (2024-2029)
Practices and costs of drug susceptible and drug resistant-tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment
Accurate, up-to-date evidence on the costs of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment is needed to inform program decision making, yet current cost data are limited. This project has two objectives: (1) estimate healthcare utilization and costs during TB diagnosis and treatment using a traditional costing approach, and (2) explore healthcare costs and utilization among TB survivors up to one year post-treatment. The project will generate data on diagnostic practices and costs, hospitalization rates and duration by payer, outpatient management practices (medications, exams, visits, supplies, adverse events), and patient-level cost burden (including out-of-pocket costs, time and productivity losses), post-TB sequelae, and quality-of-life effects through patient surveys. By generating comprehensive, contemporary cost and utilization data for both drug-susceptible TB and multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, this project fills a critical gap in the evidence base needed for economic analyses. Findings will be incorporated into cost-effectiveness analyses, national TB cost estimates, assessments of the benefits of TB prevention efforts, and will inform program planning.
Practices and costs of drug susceptible and drug resistant-TB diagnosis and treatment
The per-patient cost of tuberculosis (TB) treatment in the United States is a critical metric for budgeting and prioritizing interventions such as outbreak investigation and preventive treatment, which are expected to save future costs by averting cases and transmission. However, the most recent representative cost estimates are outdated, as treatment regimens and the costs of individual treatment components, such as directly observed therapy, have since evolved, particularly for drug-susceptible and multidrug-resistant TB. This project will design and conduct a study estimating per-person TB treatment costs in Maryland, Georgia, and New York City, capturing pre-treatment costs (diagnosis, care-seeking, symptomatic management) and on-treatment costs (lost work required for treatment engagement, costs to caregivers and other supporters, and reductions in productivity, etc.). By generating updated, comprehensive estimates of aggregate patient costs, this project fills a critical gap in current TB economic data needed to inform resource-allocation decisions. Findings will also support the development of more patient-centered approaches to TB treatment by better accounting for the full financial burden patients experience.