New Research Estimates MRSA Infections Cost U.S. Hospitals $3.2 Billion to $4.2 Billion Annually

“In addition to the staggering financial burden of MRSA infections, we know that there are untold human costs,” said Mark Kunkel, MD, senior medical director at Pfizer Inc.  “To help minimize the growing MRSA epidemic and save lives, prevention and improved treatment of these infections need to be priorities.” 

Researchers conducted an extensive literature search to identify recent studies that estimated the direct medical costs associated with MRSA infections in U.S. hospitals.  The researchers found the direct medical cost to range from $27,083 to $34,900 per case.  The range of the annual cost of MRSA infections was determined by multiplying the estimated highest and lowest cost per case by the estimated number of annual hospital discharges due to MRSA infections.  Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures that approximately 120,000 persons were hospitalized in 2000 with MRSA infections, researchers estimated the annual cost of MRSA infections to U.S. hospitals to be $3.2 billion to $4.2 billion.