Estimating the cost of an emergency room visit for migraine headache

SUMMARY

To provide a more comprehensive accounting of direct cost of treating headaches, it is imperative to quantify the cost of emergency room (ER) services specific to treating headaches. Published cost estimates for migraine-specific ER visits are currently not available. This study estimated the cost of treating migraine headaches in the ER from a payer's perspective, using ER discharge data for migraine from the 2000 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Costs were estimated using Medicare reimbursement rates. The total cost of an ER visit for migraine headache, defined as the ER visit and all additional services and procedures, was US$238.16. Based on the migraine prevalence of 9% to 27%, the annual estimate for total ER visit costs for migraine headache in the US in 2000 ranged from US$646 million to US$1.94 billion, which is substantial. ER costs for migraine may be much larger then previously estimated.

Keywords: :

• migraine headache
• emergency room cost
• emergency room procedures and services
• emergency room medications