This included 10 corporate hospital chains, 14 large private hospitals, 11 medium private hospitals and 10 government hospitals.According to the findings, half of the large and 46% of the medium private hospitals covered in the study reduced angioplasty procedure cost by 10-25%. "A minimal reduction of 8-18% in procedure cost in most cases clearly indicates that overall procedure cost has not come down in line with the extent of the stent price cut. This means that price control on stents has not led to a major cost saving for patients," she told ET. "The patient ultimately ends up paying a larger amount for the procedure and subsequent care or relapse, where price of a medical device alone cannot create higher affordability for patients." Patients in government hospitals have also benefited because they pay for stents out of their pocket.

Source: Economic Times January 25, 2018 01:51 UTC