A PT clinic study includes transportation and lost work time in its analysis. What costs are being included?

• A. Indirect costs
• B. Direct costs
• C. Intangible costs
• D. Opportunity costs

Answer: (A)

When a study includes transportation and lost work time, it’s capturing costs that come from the impact of care on productivity and access, not the price of the service itself. These are indirect costs: they reflect the economic consequences outside the actual medical charges, such as time away from work and travel time. Direct costs would be the fees for the therapy sessions and equipment, while intangible costs are non-monetary effects like pain or suffering. Opportunity costs describe the value of the best alternative use of time or resources, but in this context the transportation and productivity losses are best described as indirect costs.