Cost Analysis of Information Generation in Alborz Healthcare

Information economics analysis is important issue for creation of appropriate intelligence about information mobility, evidence based on decision making and boosting of policy making process in system. To calculate the costs of information generation in Health Houses, Rural Health Centers and County Health Center of Alborz county health care system. This descriptive analytical study was conducted in 2008. The study population included Alborz county health center, 3 Rural Health Centers and 8 Health Houses. Data were collected through observation activities, checklists, costing forms and interviews. Activity Based Costing (ABC) method was used to analyze the costs. The costs of human resources, special and general materials, energy and general costs, capitals deprecation and repairmen in proportion to total costs were 70%, 3%and 2%, 8% and 17%respectively.The proportion of information cost to total operational costs in Health Houses, Rural Health Centers and County Health Center were 45.8%, 24.7%and4.1% respectively. Average unit-cost of generated information in HHs, RHCs and CHCs were $0.76, $2.74 and $3.73 respectively. The total amount of generated information were 545180 units with total cost of $82000. Information generation cost was 15.6%of total operational costs in the system. Regarding the cost of information generation in this healthcare system, the need for using and screening information for evidence-based on decision making is obvious. Hence, more efforts have to done by managers and policymakers in healthcare system for implementation of a standard HMIS and to train personnel in order to generate optimum information by minimum costs.