Direct Medical Costs and Utilization of Health Care Services to Treat Pneumonia in the United States: An Analysis of the 2007-2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Pneumonia remains a disease with significant burden in the United States, and clinical and economic outcomes varied widely by age. Hospitalization for pneumonia has a considerable effect on economic burden, particularly for the very young (<5 years old), middle-aged (≥45 to <65 years old), and elderly (≥65 years old) populations. A trend toward reductions in pneumonia incidence and associated medical costs was observed after the PCV13 was introduced, although these findings were not statistically significant.