Recent Health Care Expenditure Trends Among Adult Cancer Survivors in United States, 2009-2016.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to understand recent trends in direct health care expenditures among cancer survivors using novel cost-estimation methods and a nationally representative database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis of 193,003 adults, ≥18 years of age, using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey during the years 2009-2016. Manning and Mullahy two-part model was used to calculate adjusted mean and incremental medical expenditures after adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: The mean direct annual health care expenditure among cancer survivors ($13,025.0 [$12,572.0 to $13,478.0]) was nearly 3 times greater than noncancer participants ($4689.3 [$4589.2 to $4789.3]) and were mainly spent on inpatient services, office-based visits, and prescription medications. Cancer survivors had an additional health care expenditure of $4407.6 ($3877.6, $4937.6) per person per year, compared with noncancer participants after adjusting for covariates (P<0.001). The total mean annual direct health care expenditure for cancer survivors increased from $12,960.0 (95% confidence interval: $12,291.0-$13,628.0) in 2009-2010 to $13,807.0 ($12,828.0 to $14,787.0) in 2015-2016. CONCLUSIONS: Given the higher health care expenditures among cancer survivors and the increasing prevalence of cancers, cost-saving measures should be planned through multidisciplinary initiatives, collaborative research, and importantly, health care planning and policy changes. Our findings could be helpful in streamlining health care resources and interventions, developing national health care coverage policies, and possibly considering radically new insurance strategies for cancer survivors.

Increasing Sepsis Rates in the United States: Results From National Inpatient Sample, 2005 to 2014.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the trends in hospitalization rates, mortality, and costs for sepsis during the years 2005 to 2014. METHODS: This was a retrospective serial cross-sectional analysis of patients ≥18 years admitted for sepsis in National Inpatient Sample. Trends in sepsis hospitalizations were estimated, and age- and sex-adjusted rates were calculated for the years 2005 to 2014. RESULTS: There were 541 694 sepsis admissions in 2005 and increased to 1 338 905 in 2014. Sepsis rates increased significantly from 1.2% to 2.7% during the years 2005 to 2014 (relative increase: 123.8%; P trend < .001). However, the relative increase changed by 105.8% (P trend < .001) after adjusting for age and sex and maintained significance. Although total cost of hospitalization due to sepsis increased significantly from US$22.2 to US$38.1 billion (P trend < .001), the mean hospitalization cost decreased significantly from US$46,470 to US$29,290 (P trend < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalizations for sepsis increased during the years 2005 to 2014. Our study paradoxically found declining rates of in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and mean hospitalization cost for sepsis. These findings could be due to biases introduced by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification coding rules and increased readmission rates or alternatively due to increased awareness and surveillance and changing disposition status. Standardized epidemiologic registries should be developed to overcome these biases.

Does education modify the effect of ethnicity in the expression of ideal cardiovascular health? The Baptist Health South Florida Employee Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the progress made to decrease risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, disparities still exist. We examined how education and ethnicity interact to determine disparities in cardiovascular health (CVH) as defined by the American Heart Association. HYPOTHESIS: Education modifies the effect of ethnicity on CVH. METHODS: Individual CVH metrics (smoking, physical activity, body mass index, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose) were defined as ideal, intermediate, or poor. Combined scores were categorized as inadequate, average, or optimal CVH. Education was categorized as postgraduate, college, some college, and high school or less; ethnicity was categorized as white, Hispanic, black, and other. Main and interactive associations between education, ethnicity, and the measures of CVH were calculated with multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 9056 study participants, 74% were women, and mean age was 43 (±12) years. Over half were Hispanic, and two-thirds had at least a college education. With postgraduate education category as the reference, participants with less than a college education were less likely to achieve ideal status for most of the individual CVH metrics, and also less likely to achieve 6 to 7 ideal metrics, and optimal CVH scores. In most of the educational categories, Hispanic participants had the highest proportion with optimal CVH scores and 6 to 7 ideal metrics, whereas black participants had the lowest proportion. However, there were no statistically significant interactions of education and ethnicity for ideal CVH measures. CONCLUSIONS: Higher educational attainment had variable associations with achieved levels of ideal CVH across race/ethnic groups. Interventions to improve CVH should be tailored to meet the needs of target communities.

Favorable Cardiovascular Health Is Associated With Lower Health Care Expenditures and Resource Utilization in a Large US Employee Population: The Baptist Health South Florida Employee Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of favorable cardiovascular health (CVH) status with 1-year health care expenditures and resource utilization in a large health care employee population. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Employees of Baptist Health South Florida participated in a health risk assessment from January 1 through September 30, 2014. Information on dietary patterns, physical activity, blood pressure, blood glucose level, total cholesterol level, and smoking were collected. Participants were categorized into CVH profiles using the American Heart Association's ideal CVH construct as optimal (6-7 metrics), moderate (3-5 metrics), and low (0-2 metrics). Two-part econometric models were used to analyze health care expenditures. RESULTS: Of 9097 participants (mean ± SD age, 42.7±12.1 years), 1054 (11.6%) had optimal, 6945 (76.3%) had moderate, and 1098 (12.1%) had low CVH profiles. The mean annual health care expenditures among those with a low CVH profile was $10,104 (95% CI, $8633-$11,576) compared with $5824 (95% CI, $5485-$6164) and $4282 (95% CI, $3639-$4926) in employees with moderate and optimal CVH profiles, respectively. In adjusted analyses, persons with optimal and moderate CVH had a $2021 (95% CI, -$3241 to -$801) and $940 (95% CI, -$1560 to $80) lower mean expenditure, respectively, than those with low CVH. This trend remained even after adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions as well as across all demographic subgroups. Similarly, health care resource utilization was significantly lower in those with optimal CVH profiles compared with those with moderate or low CVH profiles. CONCLUSION: Favorable CVH profile is associated with significantly lower total medical expenditures and health care utilization in a large, young, ethnically diverse, and fully insured employee population.

Assessment of American Heart Association's Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics Among Employees of a Large Healthcare Organization: The Baptist Health South Florida Employee Study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare organizations and their employees are critical role models for healthy living in their communities. The American Heart Association (AHA) 2020 impact goal provides a national framework that can be used to track the success of employee wellness programs with a focus on improving cardiovascular (CV) health. This study aimed to assess the CV health of the employees of Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF), a large nonprofit healthcare organization. HYPOTHESIS: HRAs and wellness examinations can be used to measure the cardiovascular health status of an employee population. METHODS: The AHA's 7 CV health metrics (diet, physical activity, smoking, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and blood glucose) categorized as ideal, intermediate, or poor were estimated among employees of BHSF participating voluntarily in an annual health risk assessment (HRA) and wellness fair. Age and gender differences were analyzed using χ(2) test. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 9364 employees who participated in the 2014 annual HRA and wellness fair (mean age [standard deviation], 43 [12] years, 74% women). Sixty (1%) individuals met the AHA's definition of ideal CV health. Women were more likely than men to meet the ideal criteria for more than 5 CV health metrics. The proportion of participants meeting the ideal criteria for more than 5 CV health metrics decreased with age. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of HRAs and wellness examinations can provide useful insights into the cardiovascular health status of an employee population. Future tracking of the CV health metrics will provide critical feedback on the impact of system wide wellness efforts as well as identifying proactive programs to assist in making substantial progress toward the AHA 2020 Impact Goal.