Project description:BackgroundAlthough prior research has estimated the overarching cost burden of heart failure (HF), a thorough analysis examining medical expense differences and trends, specifically among commercially insured patients with heart failure, is still lacking. Thus, the study aims to examine historical trends and differences in medical costs for commercially insured heart failure patients in the United States from 2006 to 2021.MethodsA population-based, cross-sectional analysis of medical and pharmacy claims data (IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus for Academic) from 2006 to 2021 was conducted. The cohort included adult patients (age > = 18) who were enrolled in commercial insurance plans and had healthcare encounters with a primary diagnosis of HF. The primary outcome measures were the average total annual payment per patient and per cost categories encompassing hospitalization, surgery, emergency department (ED) visits, outpatient care, post-discharge care, and medications. The sub-group measures included systolic, diastolic, and systolic combined with diastolic, age, gender, comorbidity, regions, states, insurance payment, and self-payment.ResultsThe study included 422,289 commercially insured heart failure (HF) patients in the U.S. evaluated from 2006 to 2021. The average total annual cost per patient decreased overall from $9,636.99 to $8,201.89, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of -1.11% (95% CI: -2% to -0.26%). Hospitalization and medication costs decreased with an AAPC of -1.99% (95% CI: -3.25% to -0.8%) and - 3.1% (95% CI: -6.86-0.69%). On the other hand, post-discharge, outpatient, ED visit, and surgery costs increased by an AAPC of 0.84% (95% CI: 0.12-1.49%), 4.31% (95% CI: 1.03-7.63%), 7.21% (95% CI: 6.44-8.12%), and 9.36% (95% CI: 8.61-10.19%).ConclusionsThe study's findings reveal a rising trend in average total annual payments per patient from 2006 to 2015, followed by a subsequent decrease from 2016 to 2021. This decrease was attributed to the decline in average patient costs within the Medicare Cost insurance category after 2016, coinciding with the implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015. Additionally, expenses related to surgical procedures, emergency department (ED) visits, and outpatient care have shown substantial growth over time. Moreover, significant differences across various variables have been identified.
Project description:The aim of the study was to explore new markers in serum proteome associated with the response to antiosteoporosis drugs, namely teriparatide and denosumab. We obtained serum samples from 14 patients with osteoporosis, both at baseline and after 6 months of treatment with teriparatide (n = 10) or denosumab (n = 4). Samples were analyzed by nanoliquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry on a QTOF 5600 (SCIEX) apparatus. The spectrometry data were analyzed with Mascot against the UniProtKB base and then several quality-control filters were applied for the identification of peptides (false discovery rate, FDR q < 0.02) and their quantification (FDR q < 0.05). In the group treated with teriparatide, 28 proteins were identified with significant differences before and after treatment. A pathway analysis by using the Reactome database revealed significant enrichment in the Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-I) (FDR q 4 × 10−2) and innate immune system (FDR q 2 × 10−3) pathways. Among patients treated with denosumab, we observed significant differences in the levels of 10 proteins, which were also enriched in the pathways related to the innate immune system (FDR q 3 × 10−2). These results suggest that the innate immune system may be involved in the response to antiosteoporosis drugs.
Project description:IntroductionDespite its social acceptance, excessive alcohol use remains among the top causes of preventable deaths in the U.S. Although there is a recognition of alcohol-related health and social costs, there are no current studies quantifying the medical costs incurred under health plans.MethodsThis study estimates the direct medical costs attributable to excessive alcohol use using claims records from a large national insurer. The sample consists of adults with commercial insurance and Medicaid between 2008 and 2019. A case-control matched study design is used to compare individuals with a condition considered 100% attributable to alcohol by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with similar individuals. Medical care use and costs are examined over a 12-month follow-up. Costs are broken down by healthcare setting and health conditions as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Alcohol-Related Disease Impact diagnoses codes.ResultsWe find that having a diagnosis attributable to alcohol is associated with higher annual per-person healthcare expenditures in both commercially insured and Medicaid-insured participants by $14,918 (95% CI=$14,540, $15,297) and $4,823 (95% CI=$4,489, $5,158), respectively. We find that 60%‒75% of the additional costs of excessive alcohol use are driven by heart disease and stroke; conditions of the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas; and certain cancers as well as acute conditions that may be attributable to alcohol.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that public and private initiatives to target people vulnerable to the harms of excessive alcohol use may potentially help to cut down significant costs on the already strained healthcare system in the U.S.
Project description:ObjectivesTo describe trends in retail clinic use among commercially insured patients and to identify which patient characteristics predict retail clinic use.Study designRetrospective cohort analysis of commercial insurance claims sampled from a population of 13.3 million patients in 22 markets in 2007 to 2009.MethodsWe identified 11 simple acute conditions that can be managed at a retail clinic and described trends in retail clinic utilization for these conditions. We used multiple logistic regressions to identify predictors of retail clinic versus another care site for these conditions and assessed whether those predictors changed over time.ResultsRetail clinic use increased 10-fold from 2007 to 2009. By 2009, 6.9% of all visits for the 11 conditions were to a retail clinic. Proximity to a retail clinic was the strongest predictor of use. Patients living within 1 mile of a retail clinic were 7.5% more likely to use one than those living 10 to 20 miles away (P <.001). Women (+0.9%, P <.001), young adults (+1.6%, P <.001), patients without a chronic condition (+0.9%, P <.001), and patients with high incomes (+2.6%, P <.001) were more likely to use retail clinics. All these associations became stronger over time. There was no association between primary care physician availability and retail clinic use.ConclusionsIf these trends continue, health plans will see a dramatic increase in retail clinic utilization. While use is increasing on average, it is particularly increasing among young, healthy, and higher income patients living close to retail clinics.
Project description:BackgroundAccording to the mechanisms of action, combination therapy of anabolic and antiresorptive agents may produce more effect for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, the combination therapy of anabolic agents and bisphosphonates reports no benefit and even reduced the anabolic effects of anabolic agents. This study aims to assess the effect of combination therapy of anabolic and nonbisphosphonates antiresorptive agents in adults with osteoporosis.MethodsMedline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched from January 1, 1980 to November 1, 2017 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with osteoporosis treated in combination therapy of anabolic and nonbisphosphonates antiresorptive agents compared with monotherapy of either agent alone. The primary outcome was the incidence of fractures. The secondary outcomes were the bone mineral density (BMD) changes at lumbar spine and total hip. Continuous outcomes were expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI), while dichotomous outcomes were expressed as risk ratio (RR) and 95% CI. The meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. I statistic (I > 50% as a threshold indicates significant heterogeneity) was used to assess the heterogeneity.ResultsA total of 10 trials with a total of 1042 patients were included. The pooled results showed that the combination therapy demonstrated a significant advantage over a monotherapy in the BMD improvement at the lumbar spine (SMD 1.18; 95% CI, 0.63 to 1.72; I = 93%) and the total hip (SMD 0.89; 95% CI, 0.48 to 1.29; I = 88%) and further reduce the fracture risk (RR, 0.45; 95%CI, 0.21 to 0.94; I = 0%).ConclusionsLow-to-moderate-quality evidence shows that the combination therapy of anabolic and nonbisphosphonates antiresorptive agents is superior to monotherapy in improving the BMD and reducing the fracture risk. However, further high methodological quality studies are needed to determine the antifracture efficacy, cost-effectiveness and safety of this strategy of combination therapy.
Project description:Many transgender people need specific medical services to affirm their gender. Gender-affirming health care services may include mental health support, hormone therapy, and reconstructive surgeries. Scant information is available about the utilization or costs of these services among transgender people, which hinders the ability of insurance regulators, health plans, and other health care organizations to plan and budget for the health care needs of this population and to ensure that transgender people can access medically necessary gender-affirming care. This study used almost three decades of commercial insurance claims from a proprietary database containing data on more than 200 million people to identify temporal trends in the provision of gender-affirming hormone therapy and surgeries and to quantify the costs of these services.
Project description:BackgroundFew studies have estimated the real-world economic burden such as all-cause and follicular lymphoma (FL)-related costs and health care resource utilization (HCRU) in patients with FL.ObjectivesThis study evaluated outcomes in patients who were newly initiated with FL indicated regimens by line of therapy with real-world data.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted among patients with FL from MarketScan® databases between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. Patients were selected if they were ≥18 years old when initiated on a FL indicated therapy, had at least 1 FL-related diagnosis, ≥1 FL commonly prescribed systemic anti-cancer therapy after diagnosis, and did not use any FL indicated regimen in the 24 months prior to the first agent. These patients were followed up at least 48 months and the outcomes, including the distribution of regimens by line of therapy, the treatment duration by line of therapy, all-cause and FL-related costs, and HCRU by line of therapy were evaluated.ResultsThis study identified 598 patients who initiated FL indicated treatment. The average follow-up time was approximately 5.7 years. Of these patients, 50.2% (n=300) were female, with a mean age of 60.7 years (SD=13.1 years) when initiating their treatment with FL indicated regimens. Overall, 598 (100%) patients received first-line therapy, 180 (43.6%) received second-line therapy, 51 received third-line therapy, 21 received fourth-line therapy, and 10 received fifth-line therapy. Duration of treatment by each line of therapy was 370 days, 392 days, 162 days, 148 days, and 88 days, respectively. The most common first-line regimens received by patients were rituximab (n=201, 33.6%), R-CHOP (combination of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride [hydroxydaunomycin]; n=143, 24.0%), BR (combination of bendamustine and rituximab; n=143, 24.0%), and R-CVP (combination of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone; n=71, 11.9%). The most common second-line treatment regimens were (N=180): rituximab (n=78, 43.3%) and BR (n=41, 22.8%). Annualized all-cause health care costs per patient ranged from US$97 141 (SD: US$144 730) for first-line to US$424 758 (SD: US$715 028) for fifth-line therapy.ConclusionsThe primary regimens used across treatment lines conform to those recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network clinical practice guidelines. The economic burden for patients with FL is high and grows with subsequent lines of therapy.
Project description:PurposeTo examine associations between primary repair, patient characteristics, and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) reoperation.DesignRetrospective cohort study.MethodsWe used administrative claims to identify enrollees with incident RRD treatment by laser barricade, pneumatic retinopexy (PR), pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), or scleral buckle (SB) between 2003 and 2016. Analysis excluded patients with less than 3 years of continuous enrollment, previous RRD diagnosis, or repair. We determined reoperation frequency (PPV, PR, or SB) within 90 days postrepair and used multivariable logistic regression to identify associations between reoperation and patient and primary repair characteristics.ResultsOf 16,190 patients with documented primary RRD repair, 2,918 (18.0%) required reoperation within 90 days. Reoperation was significantly associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.24, P < .001), pseudophakia (OR 1.25, P < .001), vitreous hemorrhage (OR 1.22, P = .001), and worse systemic health (OR 1.19-1.25, P < .05, for Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥3). Pseudophakia had higher reoperation odds after all primary procedures except PPV. In addition, 28.7% of primary PR cases required reoperation, vs 19.1% of SB and 17.9% of PPV repairs. Adjusting for other patient characteristics, PR had highest odds of reoperation (OR 1.90, P < .001, vs primary PPV). Primary laser barricade had lowest odds of reoperation (OR 0.49, P < .001). PPV was the most frequent reoperation procedure.ConclusionsNearly 1 in 5 patients require reoperation within 90 days after primary RRD repair. Cases requiring only primary laser barricade had lowest reoperation odds, likely representing less severe RRDs. Primary PR had highest reoperation odds; PPV and SB were similar to each other. These findings are important for patient education and surgical decision-making.
Project description:IntroductionInsomnia diagnosis has been associated with a significant clinical and economic burden on patients and healthcare systems. This study examined changes in healthcare resource use (HCRU) and costs in insomnia patients before and after initiation of suvorexant treatment.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study analyzed Optum Clinformatics Data Mart claims data (Jan 2010-Dec 2018). Patients with ≥ 2 insomnia diagnosis claims and ≥ 1 prescription for suvorexant were included. Prevalent and incident insomnia patients were analyzed separately. The change in the trends of HCRU and costs were examined for 12 months before and 12 months after suvorexant initiation. An interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was conducted to assess the level and slope changes. Subgroups of patients with mental health comorbidities were examined.ResultsThe study included 18,919 and 5939 patients in the prevalent and incident insomnia cohorts, respectively. For the prevalent cohort, mean (SD) age was 64.5 (14.1) years, 65% were female, 74% had Medicare Advantage coverage, and 61% had a Charlson comorbidity index score ≥ 1. Characteristics for the incident cohort were similar. The ITS results suggested that the trend for monthly total healthcare cost (THC) was increasing before suvorexant initiation (US$52.51 in the prevalent cohort, $74.93 in incident insomnia cohort), but, after suvorexant initiation, the monthly total cost showed a decreasing trend in both cohorts. The decrease in slope for THC after suvorexant initiation were $72.66 and $112.07 per month in the prevalent and incident cohorts, respectively. The monthly trends in HCRU rates also decreased. The subgroup analysis showed that decreases were 1.5-3 times greater for patients with mental health comorbidities.ConclusionsIn this real-world study, suvorexant initiation was associated with immediate and continued decreases in HCRU and costs in insomnia patients. Further research is needed to understand the effect of suvorexant initiation on direct medical costs as well as costs associated with lost productivity in other real-world settings.
Project description:Background: The most common reason for hospitalization in the United States is childbirth. The costs of childbirth are substantial. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of hospital deliveries identified in the MarketScan® Commercial and Medicaid health insurance claim databases. Women with an inpatient birth in the calendar year 2016 were included. Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) was identified using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention algorithm of 21 International Classification of Diseases-10 codes. Mean costs and cost ratios for women with and without SMM were reported. Generalized linear models were used to analyze demographic and clinical variables influencing delivery costs. Results: We identified 1,486 women in the Commercial population, who had a birth in 2016 and met the criteria for SMM. The total mean per-patient costs of care for women with and without SMM were $50,212 and $23,795, respectively. In the Medicaid population there were 29,763 births, of which 342 met the criteria for SMM. The total mean per-patient costs of care for women with and without SMM were $26,513 and $9,652, respectively. A multifetal gestation, a cesarean delivery, maternal age, and pregnancy-related complications were independently predictive of increased delivery costs in both Commercial and Medicaid populations. Conclusions: The occurrence of SMM was associated with an increase in maternity-related costs of 111% in the Commercial and 175% in the Medicaid population. Some of the factors associated with increased delivery hospitalization costs could be treated or avoided.