Different levels of care for follow-up of adults with congenital heart disease: a cost analysis scrutinizing the impact on medical costs, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits

To scrutinize the economic impact of different care levels, such as shared care, in the follow-up of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients. The BELgian COngenital heart disease Database combining Administrative and Clinical data (BELCODAC) was analyzed. Patients (N = 6579) were categorized into five care levels based on their cardiac follow-up pattern between 2006 and 2010. Medical costs, hospitalizations, and emergency department...