Comparing cost-of-illness estimates from alternative approaches: an application to diabetes.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To compare disease cost estimates from two commonly used approaches.

Data source

Pooled Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data for 1998-2003.

Study design

We compared regression-based (RB) and attributable fraction (AF) approaches for estimating disease-attributable costs with an application to diabetes. The RB approach used results from econometric models of disease costs, while the AF approach used epidemiologic formulas for diabetes-attributable fractions combined with the total costs for seven conditions that result from diabetes.

Data extraction

We used SAS version 9.1 to create a dataset that combined data from six consecutive years of MEPS.

Principal findings

The RB approach produced higher estimates of diabetes-attributable medica

SUBMITTER: Honeycutt AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2669634 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature