The economics of cochlear implant management in France: a multicentre analysis.

This study assessed the direct medical cost of cochlear implantation in children and adults in France. A prospective multicentre study involving 19 French University Hospitals included 268 children and 201 adults who were severely to profoundly hearing-impaired. Medical resources utilisation included diagnostic tests, in-patient care, device implants, adverse events and follow-up visits for rehabilitation in the 1st year. The mean costs were <euro>34,686 per child and <euro>31,946 per adult. The cost of device implant represents 64.4% and 68.8% of the total cost for children and adults, respectively. The current reform of financing of the healthcare system requires detailed knowledge of the costs of interventions, hence the costs of cochlear implantation should be factored into resource allocation decisions. Differences in our results compared to other studies can be explained mostly by methodological differences in cost analyses.