UTIs account for billions of unnecessary heatlh care costs in the US
From Detroit - Urinary tract infections account for billions of unnecessary health care costs, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association. Researchers reviewed data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, a database representing 20% of emergency departments in the US. Over the four year study period, there were nearly 11 million patients seen in emergency departments for urinary tract infections. 84% of these patients were treated and released. The mean charge of these visits was around $2,000--or $1,800 higher than the average cost of treating UTI in an outpatient setting.