Economic evaluations comparing Tran-oral robotic surgery and radiotherapy in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS) and primary radiotherapy are the two modalities used to treat early T stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(OPSCC). Prior literature including a recent randomized controlled trial have not shown the superiority of one modality over the other. When the modalities have similar outcomes, cost-effectiveness have an important role in deciding on the appropriate treatment. There are economic evaluations comparing the two modality with contradicting conclusions. The purpose of this review is to synthesise the evidence. METHODS: This is a systematic review of economic evaluations on the treatment modalities for OPSCC, namely TORS versus radiotherapy. The main outcome measures were the Cost-utility results reported as the effectiveness and costs separately and as part of the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio. RESULTS: Literature search identified five articles reporting cost-utility analysis, eligible for the review. A strategy is considered to be dominant when the effectiveness achieved was more at a lower cost, compared to the comparator. At the willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of 50,000 to 100,000 USD per Quality Adjusted Life-Year (QALY), three studies showed dominance of strategies in the base case analysis (TORS in two and Primary Chemoradiotherapy in one). Two of the articles studied node negative patients, one of them favored TORS. Three articles had node positive patients and two of them favored TORS and one favored chemoradiotherapy in the base case analysis. On sensitivity analysis, adjuvant treatment was found to be the detrimental factor affecting the cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: TORS can be considered a cost-effective strategy in early T stage OPSCC, if the addition of adjuvant therapy involving radiotherapy can be avoided. Literature have shown that around 70% of the early cancers would require adjuvant treatment. This implies the importance of case selection while considering TORS as the initial treatment modality.

Cost-effectiveness of botulinum neurotoxin A versus surgery for drooling: a randomized clinical trial.

AIM: This study compared the cost-effectiveness of botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) injections with two-duct ligation of the submandibular glands as treatment for severe drooling after one treatment cycle. METHOD: The study was part of a larger, partly single-blinded, randomized clinical trial (trialregister.nl identifier NTR3537). Data were collected between 2012 and 2017. Evaluation was at 32 weeks after one treatment cycle. Fifty-seven patients with cerebral palsy or other neurological, non-progressive disorders and severe drooling classified as having a drooling frequency ≥3 or a drooling severity ≥2, in whom conservative treatment was deemed ineffective, were randomized to treatment by BoNT-A or two-duct ligation. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated using the success rates as the measure of benefit. Treatment success was defined as a decrease ≥50% from baseline to 32 weeks in the subjective visual analogue scale for the severity of drooling or the objective drooling quotient. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were analysed (22 females, 31 males; mean age 11y, range 8-22y). Average costs for one treatment cycle, which included one BoNT-A injection, were €1929 (standard error 62) for BoNT-A and €3155 (standard error 99) for two-duct ligation. Treatment success was in favour of two-duct ligation (63% vs 27%; number needed to treat 3). The ICER was €34 per 1% gain in treatment success in favour of two-duct ligation versus BoNT-A. INTERPRETATION: The additional cost of two-duct ligation is to some extent offset by a larger treatment success rate compared with BoNT-A. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) is less expensive per percentage of success than two-duct ligation. The additional cost of two-duct ligation over BoNT-A is offset by greater treatment success.

Are Office-Based Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Procedures Profitable? A Benefit-Cost Analysis.

PURPOSE: Although many oral and maxillofacial surgical (OMS) procedures might seem to be profitable, no current data have analyzed the costs versus benefits of performing office-based OMS procedures. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the costs of performing 6 common office-based OMS procedures compared with the reimbursement rates for those same procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a cross-sectional, microcosting survey analyzing the costs of materials used in the outpatient Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery clinic at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The costs incurred were based on dental procedure coding and national statistical databases and not on actual patient interactions. The primary predictor variable was the procedure costs for 6 commonly performed outpatient OMS procedures using 3 types of trays: a simple tray, a surgical tray, and an implant tray. The ancillary materials were listed for as-needed use for each tray. The primary outcome variable was the revenue after expenses per procedure. Descriptive statistics were computed. The net profit or net loss of performing 6 commonly performed outpatient OMS procedures was analyzed by subtracting the cost of performing the procedure from the insurance reimbursement for those procedures. RESULTS: Without the addition of sedation to the procedures, routine extractions had a net loss of $230 to $261, surgical extractions had a net loss of $153 to $242, and incision and drainage procedures had a net loss of $212 to $311. Furthermore, preprosthetic procedures had a net loss to net profit of -$269 to +$140, and pathologic procedures had a net loss to net profit of -$269 to +$326. Only implant procedures yielded a net profit of $847. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study have demonstrated that not all routine OMS procedures are profitable when performed alone without the inclusion of additional procedures or sedation.

Surgical treatment of the residual periodontal pocket.

The ultimate goal of periodontal therapy is to prevent further disease progression in order to reduce the risk of tooth loss. This objective can be achieved through a number of therapeutic modalities comprising both the nonsurgical and surgical phases of periodontal therapy. Nonsurgical periodontal treatment has been shown to control periodontal infection and to arrest progression of the disease in a significant number of cases. However, despite completion of nonsurgical treatment, a number of periodontal pockets, defined as 'residual', often remain. The presence of residual pockets may jeopardize tooth survival and be a risk factor of further disease progression, and ultimately tooth loss. Therefore, the aim of this review is to analyze the knowledge available on the indications for and the performance of periodontal surgical treatment of residual pockets in terms of 'traditional' (clinical, microbiological), patient-based and systemic health outcomes.

Value in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: A Systematic Review of Economic Analyses.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe the state of economic analyses in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of published literature up to 2016 was performed. The inclusion criteria were as follows: English-language articles on economic analyses pertaining to OMS including anesthesia and pain management; dentoalveolar surgery; orthognathic, cleft, and/or obstructive sleep apnea treatment; pathology; reconstruction; temporomandibular disorders; trauma; and other. The exclusion criteria were as follows: opinion or perspective articles, studies unrelated to OMS, nonhuman research, and implant-related studies. Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs), cost-utility analyses, and cost-minimization analyses (CMAs) were evaluated with the original Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist or a modified CHEERS checklist. RESULTS: The search yielded 798 articles, 77 of which met the inclusion criteria (published from 1980 to 2016, 48 from the United States). There were an increasing number of studies over time (P for trend < .01). There were 7 economic studies on anesthesia and pain management (9.1%); 16 studies on dentoalveolar surgery (20.7%); 15 studies on orthognathic, cleft, and/or obstructive sleep apnea treatment (19.4%); 1 study on pathology (1.3%); 6 studies on reconstruction (7.8%); no studies on temporomandibular joint disorders and/or facial pain (0%); 20 studies on trauma (25.9%); and 12 studies categorized as other (15.5%). CEAs made up 11.7% of studies, and CMAs comprised 58.4%. Of the 9 CEAs, 55.6% were published in 2010 or later. Of the 45 CMAs, 88.6% were published in 2000 or later and 61.4% in 2010 or later. CEAs met 56.0% (range, 29.2 to 87.5%) of the CHEERS criteria, whereas CMA studies met 45.1% (range, 23.9 to 76.1%) of the modified CHEERS criteria. Only 1 study succeeded in estimating costs and health outcomes (value) of an OMS procedure. CONCLUSIONS: There is an increasing trend in the number of economic studies in the field of OMS. More high-quality economic evaluations are needed to demonstrate the value of OMS procedures. To determine value, future studies should compare both costs and health-related outcomes.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Radiation Therapy Versus Transoral Robotic Surgery for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) versus the standard treatment modality for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), radiation therapy (RT), in a subset of patients with early-stage OPSCC. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We developed a microsimulation state-transition model associated with RT and TORS for patients with clinically staged T1N0M0 to T2N1M0 OPSCC. Transition probabilities, utilities, and costs for each health state were estimated from recently published data and discounted by 3% annually over a lifetime time horizon. Model outcomes included lifetime costs (in 2014 US dollars), health benefits (quality-adjusted life-years [QALYs]), and cost-effectiveness ratios from a societal perspective. RESULTS: Under base-case assumptions, TORS was associated with modest gains in QALYs. RT yielded 10.43 QALYs at a cost of $123,410 per patient, whereas TORS yielded 11.10 QALYs at a cost of $178,480. This resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $82,190/QALY gained. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was most sensitive to the need for adjuvant therapy, cost of late toxicity, age at diagnosis, disease state utilities, and discount rate. Accounting for joint parameter uncertainty, RT had a higher probability of demonstrating a cost-effective profile compared with TORS, at 54% compared with 46%. CONCLUSIONS: By use of standard benchmarks for cost-effectiveness in the United States, TORS may be a cost-effective alternative for the subset of patients with early-stage OPSCC but demonstrates considerable sensitivity to assumptions around quality of life.

[Performance indicators of maxillofacial surgery inpatient departments]. / Az arc-, állcsont-szájsebészeti aktív fekvobetegosztályok teljesítménymutatói.

INTRODUCTION: In Hungary, the number and structure of the maxillofacial surgery departments underwent significant changes in recent decades. AIM: The aim of our study was to present the actual performance indicators of maxillofacial inpatient departments and based on the available data to compare the departments. METHOD: The study was based on the number of beds founded by the National Health Insurance Fund. Performance data were supplied by the National Health Insurance Fund Administration. The assessment included the following indicators: number of beds institutional breakdown by type, number of reimbursed cases, the weighted case number, hospital stay, bed occupancy rates and average length of stay. RESULTS: In the examined period 40% of active beds (65) were in university hospitals. The distribution of reimbursed cases was similar. The university hospitals showed higher weighted case number and case-mix index. The oral surgery departments' bed occupancy rate (45.75%) was below the national average. CONCLUSION: The indicators show significant differences among different departments in the examined period. Orv. Hetil., 2017, 158(12), 447-453.

Physician Assistants Improve Efficiency and Decrease Costs in Outpatient Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

PURPOSE: To determine the effects on time, cost, and complication rates of integrating physician assistants (PAs) into the procedural components of an outpatient oral and maxillofacial surgery practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study of patients from the Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital who underwent removal of 4 impacted third molars with intravenous sedation in our outpatient facility. Patients were separated into the "no PA group" and PA group. Process maps were created to capture all activities from room preparation to patient discharge, and all activities were timed for each case. A time-driven activity-based costing method was used to calculate the average times and costs from the provider's perspective for each group. Complication rates were calculated during the periods for both groups. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: The total process time did not differ significantly between groups, but the average total procedure cost decreased by $75.08 after the introduction of PAs (P < .001). The time that the oral and maxillofacial surgeon was directly involved in the procedure decreased by an average of 19.2 minutes after the introduction of PAs (P < .001). No significant differences in postoperative complications were found. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of PAs into the procedural components of an outpatient oral and maxillofacial surgery practice resulted in decreased costs whereas complication rates remained constant. The increased availability of the oral and maxillofacial surgeon after the incorporation of PAs allows for more patients to be seen during a clinic session, which has the potential to further increase efficiency and revenue.

Telemedicine Consultations in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: A Follow-Up Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to follow up on the previous study in evaluating the efficiency and reliability of telemedicine consultations for preoperative assessment of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 335 patients over a 6-year period was performed to evaluate success rates of telemedicine consultations in adequately assessing patients for surgical treatment under anesthesia. Success or failure of the telemedicine consultation was measured by the ability to triage patients appropriately for the hospital operating room versus the clinic, to provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan, and to provide a sufficient medical and physical assessment for planned anesthesia. Data gathered from the average distance traveled and data from a previous telemedicine study performed by the National Institute of Justice were used to estimate the cost savings of using telemedicine consultations over the 6-year period. RESULTS: Practitioners performing the consultation were successful 92.2% of the time in using the data collected to make a diagnosis and treatment plan. Patients were triaged correctly 99.6% of the time for the clinic or hospital operating room. Most patients (98.0%) were given sufficient medical and physical assessment and were able to undergo surgery with anesthesia as planned at the clinic appointment immediately after telemedicine consultation. Most patients (95.9%) were given an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. The estimated amount saved by providing consultation by telemedicine and eliminating in-office consultation was substantial at $134,640. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the findings from previous studies that telemedicine consultations are as reliable as those performed by traditional methods.

An audit into the reasons why treatment was not completed as planned under intravenous sedation in an adult oral surgery department, and the cost implications.

This audit aimed to identify the prevalence of, and reasons for failed intravenous conscious sedation in an adult oral surgery department, to develop recommendations to reduce such failures and to identify any cost implications. Data were collected prospectively for three months for all intravenous sedation appointments in the Oral Surgery department. Data were collected for 109 sedation appointments of which 83 were successful (76%). The failure rate (24%) was higher than the acceptable departmental failure rate (10%), and included reasons for failure that should have been avoided by a thorough patient assessment prior to treatment. Of the 26 failures, the most common reasons for failure were: cancellation: 8 patients (30.8%), failure to attend: 6 patients (23.1%), excessively late arrival of patient: 4 patients (15.4%) and failure to cannulate: 3 patients (11.6%). When sedation was unsuccessful, 13 of the 26 patients (50%) had their treatment successfully completed under local anaesthesia alone, 10 patients (38%) were rebooked for sedation and 3 patient. (12%) were rebooked for a general anaesthetic. Identifying and correcting the reasons for failure can result in vast savings in appointment time, clinical resources and cost. That 13 patients subsequently had their treatment completed under local anaesthesia alone opens the debate on how rigorous the patient assessment and allocation of sedation appointments was, and the potential to achieve savings.

Costs incurred by applying computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing techniques for the reconstruction of maxillofacial defects.

This study aims to evaluate the additional costs incurred by using a computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technique for reconstructing maxillofacial defects by analyzing typical cases. The medical charts of 11 consecutive patients who were subjected to the CAD/CAM technique were considered, and invoices from the companies providing the CAD/CAM devices were reviewed for every case. The number of devices used was significantly correlated with cost (r = 0.880; p < 0.001). Significant differences in mean costs were found between cases in which prebent reconstruction plates were used (€3346.00 ± €29.00) and cases in which they were not (€2534.22 ± €264.48; p < 0.001). Significant differences were also obtained between the costs of two, three and four devices, even when ignoring the cost of reconstruction plates. Additional fees provided by statutory health insurance covered a mean of 171.5% ± 25.6% of the cost of the CAD/CAM devices. Since the additional fees provide financial compensation, we believe that the CAD/CAM technique is suited for wide application and not restricted to complex cases. Where additional fees/funds are not available, the CAD/CAM technique might be unprofitable, so the decision whether or not to use it remains a case-to-case decision with respect to cost versus benefit.

The cause of cost in the management of odontogenic infections 1: a demographic survey and multivariate analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to describe the demographics of patients with odontogenic infections and to evaluate the costs associated with the demographic, social, treatment, and hospital course variables in patients hospitalized for odontogenic infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted in patients admitted for odontogenic infections at Harborview Medical Center from July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2011. RESULTS: In total, 318 patient charts were reviewed and included. The unsponsored portion of the patient population increased from 14.7-61.9% over the course of the study. The average hospital bill per patient in this study was $17,053. Of the $5,422,854 billed, only $1,528,869 was received by the hospital in payment for services rendered, equating to $3,893,985 in lost potential revenue. The variables location of treatment, length of stay, length of stay in the intensive care unit, additional use of the operating room, and antibiotic regimen accounted for 90.2% of the variation in the hospital bill. CONCLUSION: Unsponsored patients constituting 61.9% of the patient population represent an enormous challenge for hospitals and providers. To maintain the standard of care for all patients and still be able to provide care to patients without insurance, county hospitals and academic institutions must seek to improve cost efficiency. The present findings reinforce the need to be vigilant about the decision to admit, take to the operating room, admit to an intensive care unit, and discharge to lower the costs to the patient, hospital, and society for the management of odontogenic infections.