| VARIABLE COSTS (RESOURCES RECORDED IN PATIENT MEDICAL RECORDS) |
|
Drugs, diagnostics, and other services reported in individual subjects’ medical records
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Unit cost obtained from suppliers or site and multiplied by actual resource usage for each patient. |
| Staffing (visits) |
The specific staff cadres providing service for each patient visit is not recorded in patient files. A uniform staffing cost is estimated per patient visit at each site based on total staff cost divided by the total visits during the period. The actual number of visits made by the patient is then multiplied by this cost. |
| FIXED COSTS (RESOURCES USED FOR CLINIC OPERATION, NOT ALLOCATED TO INDIVIDUAL PATIENTS) |
| Buildings and utilities |
The space of the building was measured and an average rental cost per square metre obtained from the property market for commercial properties in the area was applied. Utilities were not measured at the study sites and so an estimated utility cost per square metre was determined based on a property with basic utility demands (i.e. basic electronic equipment and lighting, air-conditioning, water for cleaning and sanitation). |
| Equipment |
All computer and related equipment was inventoried and costed using the appropriate unit costs and expected working life. Basic furnishings and equipment were costed by including a 10% markup on the rental. |
| Supplies |
This included all non-drug and non-diagnostic related supplies (i.e. gloves, paper, pens). Supply usage was not well recorded at the facilities. The available information was captured and an estimated cost was calculated per month per patient visit. The same supply cost per visit was applied to both sites in order to prevent the costs being biased towards a site with incomplete supply records. |
