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Background <p>The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted usual hospital care, leading to widespread cancellations of elective procedures and sharp declines in admissions. Cancer patients, whose treatment depends on timely and coordinated interventions, were particularly vulnerable to pandemic-related disruptions. This study analyzes Swiss hospital cost trends across pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown phases to examine differential resource allocation patterns between cancer and non-cancer patients.</p> Method <p>A retrospective observational study was conducted using administrative data from 3.9&#xa0;million inpatient stays among adults. Monthly trends in total hospital stay costs and key cost components, including emergency services, intensive care, operating room, physician, nursing, and imaging services, were analyzed. A difference-in-differences model was employed to assess cost differentials between patient groups across the pandemic periods, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics.</p> Results <p>During the lockdown, the average cost per hospital stay increased by CHF 2,049 (+ 15.7%) and remained CHF 1,654 (+ 12.7%) higher than pre-lockdown levels in the post-lockdown period. Cost increases were especially notable in intensive care unit (CHF + 283) and nursing services (CHF + 759) during the lockdown, with sustained but smaller increases post-lockdown. Once adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics, cancer patients incurred higher hospital costs than non-cancer patients, with the cost differential increasing from 10.0% pre-lockdown to 14.8% during the lockdown and slightly decreasing to 13.8% post-lockdown. This disparity was primarily driven by higher costs of physician services, nursing services, and operating room services. However, ICU costs increased significantly less for cancer patients than for non-cancer patients during lockdown, suggesting differential resource utilization between patient groups.</p> Conclusion <p>The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased average hospital costs in Switzerland, with distinct patterns by patient type and cost category. Despite overall cost pressures, continued attention was maintained for cancer patients, showing resilience in service delivery. Findings underscore the need for cost-informed policy responses to maintain care quality and financial sustainability during health system crises.</p>

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Costs of hospital stays in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative analysis between cancer and non-cancer patients

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月24日

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  • Loïc Brunner,
  • Anna Nicolet,
  • Marie-Annick Le Pogam,
  • Isabelle Peytremann-Bridevaux,
  • Jean-Luc Bulliard,
  • Joachim Marti,
  • Karine Moschetti

摘要

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted usual hospital care, leading to widespread cancellations of elective procedures and sharp declines in admissions. Cancer patients, whose treatment depends on timely and coordinated interventions, were particularly vulnerable to pandemic-related disruptions. This study analyzes Swiss hospital cost trends across pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown phases to examine differential resource allocation patterns between cancer and non-cancer patients.

Method

A retrospective observational study was conducted using administrative data from 3.9 million inpatient stays among adults. Monthly trends in total hospital stay costs and key cost components, including emergency services, intensive care, operating room, physician, nursing, and imaging services, were analyzed. A difference-in-differences model was employed to assess cost differentials between patient groups across the pandemic periods, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics.

Results

During the lockdown, the average cost per hospital stay increased by CHF 2,049 (+ 15.7%) and remained CHF 1,654 (+ 12.7%) higher than pre-lockdown levels in the post-lockdown period. Cost increases were especially notable in intensive care unit (CHF + 283) and nursing services (CHF + 759) during the lockdown, with sustained but smaller increases post-lockdown. Once adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics, cancer patients incurred higher hospital costs than non-cancer patients, with the cost differential increasing from 10.0% pre-lockdown to 14.8% during the lockdown and slightly decreasing to 13.8% post-lockdown. This disparity was primarily driven by higher costs of physician services, nursing services, and operating room services. However, ICU costs increased significantly less for cancer patients than for non-cancer patients during lockdown, suggesting differential resource utilization between patient groups.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased average hospital costs in Switzerland, with distinct patterns by patient type and cost category. Despite overall cost pressures, continued attention was maintained for cancer patients, showing resilience in service delivery. Findings underscore the need for cost-informed policy responses to maintain care quality and financial sustainability during health system crises.