Heart valve disorders lead the list of the most expensive medical conditions with the highest average cost per inpatient stay, according to an analysis by Business Insider.
The publication looked at 2016 data from the Association for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to determine the 20 conditions that had the highest average cost per inpatient stay based on how many visits were made for each condition.
RELATED: Septicemia still tops the list of most expensive inpatient conditions
Although the HCUP report found septicemia was the most expensive inpatient condition (around $27 billion in aggregate costs), the Business Insider analysis said it did not have the highest average cost per treatment because of the large number of patients treated for the condition. That ranking went to heart valve disorders, which only account for 0.3% of all hospital stays in the country, but have an average cost $41,878 per stay, the analysis found.
The other four conditions that make up the top five are:
Acute myocardial infarction: The condition accounts for 1.7% of all hospital stays, and on average costs $20,086 per stay.
Complication of device, implant or graft: The average cost per stay is $19,669. The condition represents 1.8% of all U.S. hospital stays.
Coronary atherosclerosis: The average cost per stay is $19,657. The condition accounts for 1.3% of all inpatient stays.
Spondylosis, intervertebral disc disorders, other back problems: The conditions account for 1.6% of all inpatient stays, and the average cost per stay is $18,375.