Which statement about pressure ulcer costs is accurate?

• A. The cost per ulcer ranges from $50,000 to $90,000.
• B. The cost is negligible in most settings.
• C. The cost range is $1,000 to $5,000.
• D. The cost per ulcer ranges from $20,900 to $151,700.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that pressure ulcers impose a substantial and wide-ranging financial burden on healthcare. Costs accumulate because managing an ulcer can require extended hospital stays, intensive wound care with dressings and debridement, potential surgeries, antibiotics for infections, and closer monitoring for complications. The severity of the ulcer, presence of comorbidities, and the care setting all push costs up or down, so the expense per ulcer isn’t a small, fixed amount.

The range from about $20,900 to $151,700 reflects this variability, capturing both less severe cases that still incur significant expenses and more severe cases that require extensive treatment or long stays. This aligns with studies showing meaningful per-ulcer costs that can soar when complications or surgeries are involved, and it’s more accurate than saying costs are negligible or only in the low thousands.