Total Cost of Ownership as a Management Tool for Medical Devices Planning: A Case Study of a ST-Analyzer in Perinatology

Total cost of ownership is studied as a part of Hospital-based HTA analyses for decision-making in the area of purchasing, implementation and/or disinvestment of technologies or interventions in hospitals. An estimation of Total cost of ownership for a D41 ST-analyzer for a neonatal department of a university hospital is presented as a case study. The choice of the time horizon and cost items to be involved is discussed. The necessity of discounting all cost items is accented. The method is fitting for estimation of life-cycle resource requirements in case of asset acquisition through donation or public subsidy.