Direct costs include which items?

• A. Treatment, medications, and equipment
• B. Productivity loss
• C. Transportation
• D. Patient time costs

Answer: (A)

Direct costs are the actual medical resources used to deliver care. This means the elements of care itself—the treatment provided, the medications used, and the equipment employed during that care. These are the expenses tied directly to administering the medical intervention.

Productivity loss represents the economic impact of illness on work and is an indirect cost. Transportation and patient time costs reflect non-medical aspects of care—costs associated with getting to and being in care or the time spent, rather than the medical resources used. So, the combination of treatment, medications, and equipment fits direct medical costs, while the others fall into indirect or non-medical cost categories.