QuantiFERON-TB gold in-tube implementation for latent tuberculosis diagnosis in a public health clinic: a cost-effectiveness analysis

Table 2 Costs and Effects of Intervention Compared to Standard Algorithm in the Base-Case

Variable	Standard Strategy	QFT-GIT Strategy	Incremental
Costs
Costs per Individual
QFT-GIT testing costs	$0.00	$43.51	$43.51
LTBI treatment and monitoring	$275.39	$208.99	-$66.40
Total LTBI-care costs	$275.39	$252.50	-$22.89
Active TB costs per individual*	$84.54	$117.54	$33.00
Net costs per individual	$359.93	$370.04	$10.12
Effects
QALYs**	25.21 per referral	25.22 per referral	0.01 QALYs gained per referral
Active TB	9.9 per 1000 referrals	13.7 per 1000 referrals	3.8 per 1000 referrals
Cost-Effectiveness
Base-Case	--	--	$1,202 per QALY-gained†

Note. QFT-GIT = QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube; LTBI = latent tuberculosis infection; TB = tuberculosis; BCHD = Baltimore City Health Department; QALYs = Quality-Adjusted Life Years.
*Active TB costs attributable to individuals referred to the BCHD TB Control Program who go on to develop active TB disease later in life; future costs were discounted at 3%.
**Future QALY’s were discounted at 3%.
†ICER calculated as incremental costs divided by incremental effects ($10.12/0.01QALY’s gained).

ISSN: 1471-2334