Commercial claims costs related to health care resource use associated with a diagnosis of peanut allergy.

BACKGROUND: Peanut allergy (PA) affects approximately 1.6 million US children. The current standard of care is strict avoidance and prompt reaction treatment. Peanut allergy health care costs and health care resource utilization (HCRU) are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To estimate PA health care costs and HCRU using a nationally representative commercial payer database. METHODS: The IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database was examined for PA diagnosis/reaction codes between January 2010 and October 2016 in patients 64 years of age or younger, with age cohort-matched controls. Outcomes were measured 12 months before and after the first claim date. Health care costs and HCRU were compared using Student's t tests and χ2 tests. RESULTS: Patients with a PA-related diagnostic code (n = 41,675) incurred almost double all-cause health care costs vs controls ($6436 vs $3493, P < .001), mainly from inpatient and outpatient medical costs ($5002 vs $2832, P < .001). More than one third of the PA group patients (36%) had a code indicative of an anaphylactic reaction during follow-up. Mean PA or reaction-related code costs per visit totaled $7921 for hospitalizations and $1115 for emergency department (ED) visits. Costs were 30% lower in patients with asthma codes without PA codes vs those with both codes ($5678 vs $8112, P < .001); all-cause ED costs were more than double in patients with atopic dermatitis codes with PA codes vs those without PA codes ($654 vs $308, P < .001). CONCLUSION: National commercial payer claims data indicate a significant health care burden associated with a PA-related code, including over $6400/patient in annual all-cause costs and increased health care utilization.

The annual economic burden among patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP): a retrospective US cohort study.

Objective: To assess the 1-year economic burden among patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the US.Methods: Adult patients hospitalized for CAP between 1/2012 and 12/2016 were identified from the IQVIA hospital charge data master (CDM) linked to the IQVIA Real-World Data Adjudicated Claims - US Database (date of admission = index date). Patients had continuous enrollment 180-days pre- and 360-days post-index, and empiric antimicrobial treatment (monotherapy [EM] or combination therapy [EC]) and chest x-ray on the index date or day after. All-cause and CAP-related healthcare resource utilization and cost were assessed over the 1-year follow-up. Generalized linear models (GLM) examined adjusted total cost.Results: The cohort comprised 1624 patients hospitalized for CAP (mean age 50.3; 52.8% female). The majority (78.2%) initiated EC, most frequently with beta-lactams + macrolides (30.4%). The index hospitalization was associated with a mean length of stay (LOS) of 5.7 days and mean cost of $17,736; 22.7% had a transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU). All-cause readmission rates at 30- and 180-days were 8.8% and 20.1%, respectively. Mean annual all-cause total cost was $61,928; one-third (33.8%, $20,954) was related to CAP. The primary cost driver was inpatient care, which accounted for more than half (56.0%) of total all-cause cost and 94.3% of total CAP-related cost. Mean total inpatient cost was significantly higher among EC versus EM patients ($37,106 versus $25,999, p = .0399). Adjusted mean total all-cause cost was $55,391.Conclusions: Patients hospitalized for CAP incurred a significant annual economic burden, driven substantially by the high cost of hospitalizations.

The 1-year economic burden of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) initially managed in the outpatient setting in the USA.

Aim: To assess the annual economic burden of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) initially managed in the outpatient setting. Patients & methods: Patients with an outpatient diagnosis of CAP between January 2012 and December 2016 were identified from the IQVIA (Danbury, CT & Durham, NC, USA) Real-World Data Adjudicated Claims - US Database. All-cause and CAP-related healthcare resource utilization and costs were assessed over the 1-year follow-up. Generalized linear model examined adjusted total cost. Results: Among 256,916 patients with outpatient CAP, a tenth (10.6%) had ≥1 hospitalization and, of these, 18.7% had ≥1 CAP-related hospitalization. The mean total cost per patient was US$14,372; 10.9% was CAP-related and 26.1% was due to inpatient care. The adjusted mean total all-cause cost was US$13,788. Conclusion: Patients with outpatient CAP incurred a substantial annual economic burden.

Mortality, Hospital Costs, Payments, and Readmissions Associated With Clostridium difficile Infection Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND: The management of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) among hospitalized patients is costly, and ongoing payment reform is compelling hospitals to reduce its burden. To assess the impact of CDI on mortality, hospital costs, healthcare use, and Medicare payments for beneficiaries who were discharged with CDI listed as a secondary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification claim diagnosis. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the 2009 to 2010 5% random sample Medicare Standard Analytic Files of beneficiary claims. Patients with index hospitalizations with CDI as a secondary diagnosis and no previous hospitalization within 30 days were identified. Outcomes included inpatient and 30-day mortality, inpatient costs, index hospital payments, all-provider payments, net hospital losses, payment to cost ratio, length of stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission; outcomes were each risk adjusted using propensity score matching and regression modeling techniques. RESULTS: A total of 3262 patients with CDI were identified after matching to patients without a CDI diagnosis. After risk adjustment, secondary CDI was associated with statistically significantly (all P < 0.05) greater inpatient mortality (3.1% vs. 1.7%), 30-day mortality (4.1% vs. 2.2%), longer LOS (7.0 days vs. 3.8 days), higher rates of 30-day hospital readmissions (14.8% vs. 10.4%), and greater hospital costs ($16,184 vs. $13,954) compared with the non-CDI cohort. The risk-adjusted payment-to-cost ratio was shown to be lower for patients with CDI than those without (0.76 vs. 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: Secondary CDI is associated with greater adjusted mortality, costs, LOS, and hospital readmissions, while receiving similar hospital reimbursement compared with patients without CDI in a Medicare population.

The burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among employed adults.

OBJECTIVE: To examine quality of life, work productivity, and health care resource use among employed adults ages 40-64 years with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United States. METHODS: Data from the 2009 National Health and Wellness Survey were used. All employed adults ages 40-64 years with or without a self-reported diagnosis of COPD were included in the study. Impact on quality of life (using the mental and physical component summary scores and health utilities from the Short Form-12v2), work productivity and activity impairment (using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire), and resource use were analyzed using regression modeling. RESULTS: There were 1112 employed adults with COPD versus 18,912 employed adults without COPD. After adjusting for demographics and patient characteristics, adults with COPD reported significantly lower mean levels of mental component summary (46.8 vs 48.5), physical component summary (45.6 vs 49.2), and health utilities (0.71 vs 0.75) than adults without COPD. Workers with COPD reported significantly greater presenteeism (18.9% vs 14.3%), overall work impairment (20.5% vs 16.3%), and impairment in daily activities (23.5% vs 17.9%) than adults without COPD. Employed adults with COPD also reported more mean emergency room visits (0.21 vs 0.12) and more mean hospitalizations (0.10 vs 0.06) in the previous 6 months than employed adults without COPD. All of the above differences were significant at two-sided P < 0.05. CONCLUSION: After adjusting for various confounders, employed adults with COPD reported significantly lower quality of life and work productivity, and increased health care resource utilization than employed adults without COPD. These results highlight the substantial impact and burden of COPD in the United States workforce.

The impact of COPD on quality of life, productivity loss, and resource use among the elderly United States workforce.

Abstract To address the gap in knowledge about the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on older working adults, this study examined quality of life, worker productivity, and healthcare resource utilization among employed adults aged 65 and older with and without COPD. Among 2009 National Health and Wellness Survey (a cross-sectional, internet-based survey representative of the US adult population) respondents, employed adults aged 65 years and older, with COPD (n = 297) and without COPD (n = 3061), were included in analyses. Impact of self-reported COPD diagnosis on mean quality of life (using health utilities and mental, MCS, and physical, PCS, component summary scores from SF-12v2), work productivity and activity impairment (using the WPAI questionnaire), and resource use were examined. Adjusting for demographic and health characteristics such as co-morbidities (weighted to project to the US population) in regression models (linear, negative binomial, or logistic, as appropriate given the outcome measure), older workers with COPD reported significantly lower MCS (52.1 vs. 53.4, p < .05), PCS (40.3 vs. 47.2, p < .05), and health utilities (0.72 vs. 0.79, p < .05) than those without COPD, and significantly greater percentages of impairment while at work (presenteeism) (12.6% vs. 8.7%, p < .0001), overall work impairment (absenteeism and presenteeism combined) (19.3% vs. 10.0%, p < .05), and impairment in daily activities (23.9% vs. 13.7%, p < .05). There were no significant differences in absenteeism or healthcare use. Quality of life and work productivity suffered among employed adults aged 65 years and older with COPD, emphasizing the need for disease management in this population.

Respiratory-related medical expenditure and inpatient utilisation among COPD patients receiving long-acting bronchodilator therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-related expenditure and hospitalisation in COPD patients treated with tiotropium versus alternative long-acting bronchodilators (LABDs). METHODS: Data were from the Thomson Reuters MarketScan Research Databases. COPD patients ≥ 35 years with at least one LABD claim between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2006 were classified into five cohorts based on index LABD: monotherapy with tiotropium, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate, formoterol fumarate, or salmeterol or combination therapy. Demographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated for a 6-month pre-period and COPD-related utilisation and total costs were evaluated for a 12-month follow-up period. LABD relationship to COPD-related costs and hospitalisations were estimated by multivariate generalised linear modelling (GLM) and multivariate logistic regression, respectively. RESULTS: Of 52,274 patients, 53% (n = 27,457) were male, 71% (n = 37,271) were ≥ 65 years, and three LABD cohorts accounted for over 90% of the sample [53% (n = 27,654) salmeterol/fluticasone propionate, 23% (n = 11,762) tiotropium, and 15% (n = 7755) combination therapy]. Patients treated with salmeterol/fluticasone propionate (p < 0.001), formoterol fumarate (p = 0.032), salmeterol (p = 0.004), or with combination therapy (p < 0.001) had higher COPD-related costs and a greater risk of inpatient admission (p < 0.01 for all) versus tiotropium. LIMITATIONS: These data are based on administrative claims and as such do not include clinical information or information on risk factors, like smoking status, that are relevant to this population. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with tiotropim had lower COPD-related expenditures and risk of hospitalisation than patients treated with other LABDs.

Costs and outcomes of noncardioembolic ischemic stroke in a managed care population.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and incremental health care costs of ischemic stroke in a US managed care population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was done on patients (aged 18+ years) hospitalized with noncardioembolic ischemic stroke from January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2003, identified from commercial health plan administrative claims. New or recurrent stroke was based on history in the previous 12 months, with index date defined as first date of indication of stroke. A control group without stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) was matched (1:3) on age, sex, and geographic region, with an index date defined as the first medical claim during the patient identification period. Patients with atrial fibrillation or mitral value abnormalities were excluded. Ischemic stroke and control cohorts were compared on 4-year clinical outcomes and 1-year costs. RESULTS: Of 2180 ischemic stroke patients, 1808 (82.9%) had new stroke and 372 (17.1%) had a recurrent stroke. Stroke patients had higher unadjusted rates of additional stroke, TIA, and fatal outcomes compared with the 6540 matched controls. Recurrent stroke patients had higher rates of adverse clinical outcomes compared with new stroke patients; costs attributed to recurrent stroke were also higher. Stroke patients were 2.4 times more likely to be hospitalized in follow-up compared with controls (hazard ratio [HR] 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2, 2.6). Occurrence of stroke following discharge was 21 times more likely among patients with index stroke compared with controls (HR 21.0, 95% CI: 16.1, 27.3). Stroke was also predictive of death (HR 1.8, 95% CI: 1.3, 2.5). Controlling for covariates, stroke patients had significantly higher costs compared with control patients in the year following the index event. CONCLUSION: Noncardioembolic ischemic stroke patients had significantly poorer outcomes and higher costs compared with controls. Recurrent stroke appears to contribute substantially to these higher rates of adverse outcomes and costs.

Burden of illness among patients at high risk versus low risk for major cardiovascular events.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to compare the burden of illness (BOI) in patients at high risk versus low risk of developing a major cardiovascular (CV) event. METHODS: This retrospective claims data analysis included commercial health plan members identified with a primary diagnosis on a medical claim for cardiovascular disease (CVD) from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2002. Patients were categorized as: low risk (LR), high risk (HR), or high risk aged≥55 (HR55), based on the ONTARGET clinical trial. RESULTS: Most patients (85%) were in the LR category (8% in HR55, 7% in HR). A significantly greater proportion of patients in the HR55 group were hospitalized and experienced a greater number of ambulatory visits compared with LR and HR patients. Controlling for covariates, HR55 patients averaged $22,502 in paid healthcare services over 2 years versus $15,645 for HR patients and $11,423 for LR patients (p<0.001). CV-related costs represented about 46% of costs for the HR55 group, versus 41% for the HR group and 31% for the LR group. LIMITATIONS: Claims data are collected for the purpose of payment and not research and the presence of a diagnosis code is not proof of disease, due to possible coding errors or the use of a rule-out criterion. Also, patients who died in the follow-up were not included in the analyses, resulting in lower BOI estimates. Finally, the results of this study reflect treatment of CVD in managed-care settings, and may not be applicable to a different type of population. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the high BOI associated with CVD, especially for patients within the high-risk group aged≥55 years. Opportunities exist for reducing costs in this population.

Health care costs among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease within several large, multi-state employers.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-attributable medical resource utilization and health care costs among employed individuals and their covered dependents with COPD. METHOD: Retrospective health care claims analysis. Employees and dependents 40 to 63 years old with a diagnosis of COPD between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2002 were matched to two separate control cohorts. Medical resource utilization and health care costs were compared between cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 6445 individuals with COPD were matched to each control cohort. Mean age was 55.1 years, and cohorts were approximately 50% men. COPD subjects had significantly higher utilization and adjusted pharmacy, medical, and total health care costs than both control cohorts (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: COPD subjects had significantly higher utilization and costs than individuals without COPD. Thus, the economic burden of COPD is present in younger, working individuals, as well as in the older, retired population.

The economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a U.S. Medicare population.

RATIONALE: Although the economic burden of COPD has gained attention in recent years, data on the costs of COPD among U.S. Medicare beneficiaries are lacking. METHODS: This study used administrative claims and eligibility records from a large U.S. multi-state Medicare managed care database. Study patients were 65+ years of age with paid claims during 2004. The COPD cohort comprised patients with 1+ inpatient/ER claims or 2+ outpatient claims (>30 days apart) for COPD (ICD-9-CM codes 491.xx, 492.x, 496). The comparison cohort included patients without COPD matched 3:1 to the COPD cohort on age, sex, enrollment months, and Medicare plan. Excess costs of COPD were estimated as the difference in overall health plan payments between the two cohorts during 2004. Attributable costs were calculated using medical claims with listed diagnoses of COPD or other respiratory-related conditions and pharmacy claims for respiratory medications. RESULTS: A total of 8370 patients were included in the COPD cohort and were matched to 25,110 comparison cohort patients. For both groups, mean (SD) age was 78 (8) years, 54% were female, and duration of eligibility was 11 (2) months. COPD patients were more likely to utilize healthcare services and had excess total healthcare costs about $20,500 higher (P<0.0001) than the comparison cohort. Comorbidities were high in the COPD cohort, accounting for 46% of the observed excess cost. The attributable cost of COPD averaged about $6,300; other respiratory-related costs averaged about $4,400. CONCLUSION: In this U.S. Medicare managed care population, COPD posed a substantial burden in terms of both respiratory-related and total healthcare costs. A comparison of these cost-of-illness estimates to those for elderly COPD patients in other countries would be of great interest, given the increasing age of populations in most Western countries.

Identifying patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia through a diagnosis of, or treatment for, erectile dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: Erectile dysfunction (ED) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) are highly correlated. This study examined rates of screening, diagnosis, and treatment of BPH/LUTS among men seeking care for ED. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a retrospective US claims data analysis (1999-2004) evaluating men > or = 40 years old with a new diagnosis of or prescription medication for ED. Multivariate analyses were used to examine times to screening, diagnosis, and treatment. RESULTS: 81 659 men with ED were identified (mean age 57 years). The baseline prevalence of recorded BPH was 1.5%. During the follow-up period (mean 2.2 years), 7.6% had documented BPH. Time to screening was shorter among patients seeing urologists (121.1 days) compared with those seeing primary-care physicians (282.2 days). Controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics, patients who saw a urologist were more likely to be screened (OR: 2.4, p < 0.0001), diagnosed with BPH (OR: 1.8, p < 0.0001), and treated (OR: 1.3, p < 0.0001), relative to patients seeing other providers. Men aged 75 and over were 43% less likely to be screened (p < 0.0001), but 5.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with BPH (p < 0.0001) and 5.3 times more likely to be treated (p < 0.0001) compared with men aged 40-49. CONCLUSIONS: Screening for BPH appears less likely for men with ED who do not see a urologist. When screening does occur, it takes much longer with non-specialty providers. Patient age and provider specialty are key factors associated with screening, diagnosis, and treatment of BPH among men with ED.

The direct medical costs of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the costs of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by describing inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacy utilization in the years before and after the diagnosis. METHODS: A total of 6,864 patients who were enrolled in the Lovelace Health Plan for at least 12 months during the study period (January 1, 1999 through December 31, 2004) were identified. The first date that utilization was attributed to COPD was considered the first date of diagnosis. Each COPD case was matched to up to three age- and sex-matched controls. All utilization and direct medical costs during the study period were compiled monthly and compared based on the time before and after the initial diagnosis. RESULTS: Total costs were higher by an average of $1,182 per patient in the 2 years before the initial COPD diagnosis, and $2,489 in the 12 months just before the initial diagnosis, compared to matched controls. Most of the higher cost for undiagnosed COPD was attributable to hospitalizations. Inpatient costs did not increase after the diagnosis was made, but approximately one-third of admissions after the diagnosis were attributed to respiratory disease. Outpatient and pharmacy costs did not differ substantially between cases and matched controls until just a few months before the initial diagnosis, but remained 50% to 100% higher than for controls in the 2 years after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Undiagnosed COPD has a substantial impact on health-care costs and utilization in this integrated managed care system, particularly for hospitalizations.

The burden of restless legs syndrome: an assessment of work productivity, sleep, psychological distress, and health status among diagnosed and undiagnosed individuals in an internet-based panel.

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) affects approximately 10-15% of the general population and has deleterious effects on sleep and subsequent daytime performance. The disorder may also give rise to long-term complications such as psychological distress and diminished quality of life. The condition is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed, and the magnitude of the effects of RLS on the sizeable proportion of undiagnosed (and therefore untreated) individuals has not previously been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the impact of RLS on overall health status, sleep, psychological functioning, work productivity, and daily activities in individuals with diagnosed and in those with undiagnosed (self-reported) RLS. METHODS: An internet-based survey was conducted on a multimillion-member panel of US adults. Eligible participants were currently experiencing RLS symptoms as determined using established diagnostic criteria. Participants provided information related to self-reported RLS diagnosis, treatment, symptom frequency and severity, and responses to validated instruments (Medical Outcomes study [MOS] Short Form 12, version 2 [SF-12v2], MOS Sleep Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D], Work Productivity and Activity Impairment - General Health Questionnaire [WPAI-GH] and Work Limitations Questionnaire [WLQ]). Analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) models were developed to evaluate the relationships among symptom severity, diagnosis status, age, and sex, and the impact of RLS. RESULTS: Participants included 702 adults with RLS symptoms. Means for the SF-12v2 scores (physical component score = 35.6, mental component score = 42.6) were at least 1 standard deviation lower than sex- and age-adjusted general population norms. Participants reported poorer sleep quality scores across each MOS Sleep Scale domain, with differences from published norms of >16 points on 100-point scales, as well as approximately 1 hour less sleep per night on average. A majority (64%) met the cut-off score for depression. Compared with population norms, the sample reported greater limitations in time management, physical demands, mental/interpersonal demands, general work output, and usual activities. Symptom intensity and frequency were shown to be the primary predictors of RLS impact on the various outcomes. CONCLUSION: These results support previous reports that RLS often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The results of this survey also suggest that regardless of whether RLS is recognized, the burden of the disorder is substantial, implying a need for improved diagnosis and management of RLS.

A retrospective analysis of disability and its related costs among employees with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the frequency and cost of disability among actively employed individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of disability and claims data. Employees 40 to 63 years old with a diagnosis of COPD between January 1, 2001, and March 31, 2004, were identified, and controls were matched 2:1 to these subjects. Likelihood and cost of disability were compared between cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 2696 controls were matched to 1349 COPD subjects. Mean age was 52 years, and cohorts were approximately 50% male. A significantly (P < 0.0001) greater proportion of COPD subjects used short-term (21.8% vs 7.0%), long-term (2.4% vs 0.4%), or any disability (22.8% vs 7.3%). Associated costs were also higher among COPD subjects (8559 dollars vs 5443 dollars; P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Within a population of actively employed individuals 40 to 63 years old, COPD was found to have a substantial impact on the frequency and cost of disability.

An algorithm for the identification of undiagnosed COPD cases using administrative claims data.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of death in the United States, but most persons who have airflow obstruction have never been diagnosed with lung disease. This undiagnosed COPD negatively affects health status, and COPD patients may have increased health care utilization several years before the initial diagnosis of COPD is made. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether utilization patterns derived from analysis of administrative claims data using a discriminant function algorithm could be used to identify undiagnosed COPD patients. METHODS: Each patient who had a new diagnosis of COPD during the study period (N = 2,129) was matched to as many as 3 control subjects by age and gender. Controls were assigned an index date that was identical to that of the corresponding case, and then all health care utilization for cases and controls for the 24 months prior to the initial COPD diagnosis was compared using logistic regression models. Factors that were significantly associated with COPD were then entered into a discriminant function algorithm. This algorithm was then validated using a separate patient population. RESULTS: In the main model, 19 utilization characteristics were significantly associated with preclinical COPD, although most of the power of the discriminant function algorithm was concentrated in a few of these factors. The main model was able to identify COPD patients in the validation population of adult subjects aged 40 years and older (N = 41,428), with a sensitivity of 60.5% and specificity of 82.1%, even without having information on the history of tobacco use for the majority of the group. Models developed and tested on only 12 months of utilization data performed similarly. CONCLUSION: Discriminant function algorithms based on health care utilization data can be developed that have sufficient positive predictive value to be used as screening tools to identify individuals at risk for having undiagnosed COPD.