Treatment patterns and cost of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using multiple inhaler triple therapy in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Multiple inhaler triple therapy (MITT), comprising inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), long-acting beta-agonists (LABA), and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), has been used as an escalation treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, real-world use of MITT has not been investigated in Asia, including South Korea. This study reports baseline characteristics of patients with COPD initiated on MITT in South Korea, and their treatment patterns. Healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs associated with COPD exacerbations following MITT initiation were also assessed. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using the South Korea National Health Insurance database (2014-2018). Included patients were ≥ 40 years, had a COPD diagnosis, were newly initiated on MITT and had ≥ 12 months' data both before (baseline) and after index date (the first day with overlapping supply of all MITT components). Treatment immediately before initiation and immediately following discontinuation of MITT were identified, and proportion of days covered (PDC) by MITT was calculated. HRU and costs (per person per year [PPPY]) associated with exacerbations were identified following MITT initiation; costs were calculated using the average 2020 exchange rate (0.0008 USD/KRW). RESULTS: Among 37,400 patients, the mean age was 69 (SD 10) years and 73% were males; 56% had ≥ 1 COPD exacerbation during the baseline period, with a mean of 2 (SD 5) events/year. ICS/LABA was the most frequent regimen prescribed immediately before initiation (37%) and immediately following discontinuation (41% of 34,264 patients) of MITT. At 3, 6, and 12 months from treatment initiation, mean PDC was 81%, 63% and 49%, respectively; median treatment duration was 102 days. The mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) number of total visits for severe COPD exacerbations was 0.77 PPPY (0.75-0.78); mean PPPY total healthcare costs were 2093 USD. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with COPD in South Korea experienced frequent exacerbations prior to MITT, and PDC by MITT was low. Patients may benefit from early optimization of COPD therapy, and greater emphasis on adherence to inhaled COPD therapy. Severe exacerbations were found to incur substantial costs; treatment alternatives that can reduce the rate of severe exacerbations are likely to minimize healthcare costs.

Patterns of percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) of the lung and risk of PTNB-related severe pneumothorax: A nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND: As percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) of the lung is a well-established diagnostic method for the evaluating pulmonary lesions, evidence of safety based on representative data is limited. This study investigated the practice patterns of PTNB of the lung and assessed the incidence and risk factors of PTNB-related severe pneumothorax in Korea. METHODS: We used a national-level health insurance database between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2015. Patients who underwent PTNB of the lung were identified using procedure codes for organ biopsy, fluoroscopy, computed tomography, chest radiography, and lung-related diagnosis codes. The annual age-/sex-standardized rate of PTNB and the incidence of PTNB-related severe pneumothorax were calculated. We defined severe pneumothorax as the pneumothorax requiring intervention. The odds ratios of risk factors were assessed by a generalized estimating equation model with exchangeable working correlation matrix to address clustering effect within institution. RESULTS: A total of 66,754 patients were identified between 2007 and 2015. The annual age-/sex-standardized rate of PTNB per 100,000 population was 19.6 in 2007 and 22.4 in 2015, and it showed an increasing trend. The incidence of severe pneumothorax was 2.4% overall: 2.5% in men and 1.2% in women, and 2.6%, 2.7%, 2.1%, 2.1%, 1.9%, 2.4%, and 2.4% from 2009 to 2015. Older age (≥60), male sex, presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, receiving treatment in an urban or rural area versus a metropolitan area, and receiving treatment at a general hospital were significantly associated with the risk of severe pneumothorax. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the increasing trend of PTNB, more attention needs to be paid to patients with risk factors for severe pneumothorax.

Cost analysis of depression using the national insurance system in South Korea: a comparison of depression and treatment-resistant depression.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and burden of depressive disorders are increasing in South Korea. There are many differences between pharmaceutically treated depression (PTD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD), including the economic consequences; however, to our knowledge, the economic burden of depression is understudied in South Korea. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to calculate the different economic costs of PTD and TRD in South Korea, specifically by comparing several aspects of medical care. METHODS: This study comprised patients aged 18 and over who were newly prescribed antidepressants for more than 28 days with a depression code included from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2012, by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). TRD was classified as more than two antidepressant regimen failures in PTD patients. The cost was calculated based on the cost reflected on the receipt registered with HIRA. RESULTS: Of the 834,694 patients with PTD, 34,812 patients (4.17%) were converted to TRD. The cost of medical care for TRD (6,610,487 KRW, 5881 USD) was approximately 5 times higher than the cost of non-TRD (1,273,045 KRW, 1133 USD) and was significantly higher for patients with or without depression and suicide codes. Medical expenses incurred by non-psychiatrists were roughly 1.7 times higher than those incurred by psychiatrists. CONCLUSIONS: TRD patients had significantly higher healthcare costs than PTD patients. Identifying these financial aspects of care for depression can help to establish a more effective policy to reduce the burden on mentally ill patients.

Survival rates following medical intensive care unit admission from 2003 to 2013: An observational study based on a representative population-based sample cohort of Korean patients.

The decision as to whether patients should be admitted to a medical intensive care unit (ICU), in the absence of information concerning survival rates or prognostic factors in survival, is often challenging. We analyzed survival trends in relation to hospital discharge and examined patient and hospital characteristics associated with survival following ICU care, using a sample of nationwide claims data in Korea from 2002 through 2013. The Korean government implements a compulsory social insurance program that covers the country's entire population, and the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) data from 2002 based on this program were used for this study. The NHIS-NSC is a stratified random sample of 1,025,340 subjects selected from around 46 million Koreans. We evaluated annual survival trends using the Kaplan-Meier test. Analyses of the relationship between survival and patient and hospital characteristics were performed using Cox regression analyses. Employing a multivariate model, variables were selected using the forward selection method to consider the multicollinearity of variables. A total of 32,553 patients admitted to an ICU between 2002 and 2013 were identified among the eligible beneficiaries. The number of patients who had histories of ICU admission steadily increased throughout the study period, and patients older than 80 years constituted a progressively increasing proportion of ICU admissions, from 7.3% in 2002 to 16.9% in 2007 to 23.1% in 2013. The mean number of mechanical equipment items applied consistently increased, while no difference was observed in the trend for overall 1-year survival in patients following ICU treatment across the study period: the 1-year survival rate ranged from 66.7% (year 2003) to 64.2% (year 2010). Advanced age, cancer, renal failure, pneumonia, and influenza were all associated with heightened risk of mortality within 1 year. Our results should prove useful to older patients and their clinicians in their decisions regarding whether to seek ICU care, with the goals of improving the end-of life care and optimizing resource utilization.

Impact of the Health Insurance Coverage Policy on Oral Anticoagulant Prescription among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in Korea from 2014 to 2016.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate oral anticoagulant (OAC) utilization in patients with atrial fibrillation after the changes in the health insurance coverage policy in July 2015. METHODS: We used the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Samples (HIRA-NPS) between 2014 and 2016. The HIRA-NPS, including approximately 1.4 million individuals, is a stratified random sample of 3% of the entire Korean population using 16 age groups and 2 sex groups. The HIRA-NPS comprises personal and medical information such as surgical or medical treatment provided, diagnoses, age, sex, region of medical institution, and clinician characteristics. The studied drugs included non-vitamin K antagonist OACs (NOACs) such as apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban, and were compared with warfarin. We analyzed drug utilization pattern under three aspects: person, time, and place. RESULTS: The number of patients with atrial fibrillation who were prescribed OACs was 3,114, 3,954, and 4,828; and the proportions of prescribed NOACs to total OACs were 5.1%, 36.2%, and 60.8% in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The growth rate of OACs prescription increased from 61.4 patients/quarter before June 2015 to 147.7 patients/quarter thereafter. These changes were predominantly in elderly individuals aged more than 70 years. The proportion of NOACs to OACs showed significant regional difference. CONCLUSION: The change of health insurance coverage policy substantially influenced OACs prescription pattern in whole Korean region. But the impact has been significantly different among regions and age groups, which provides the evidence for developing standard clinical practice guideline on OACs use.

The incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus and related atherosclerotic complications in Korea: a National Health Insurance Database Study.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and related macrovascular complications in Korea were estimated using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) database from 2007-2011, which covers the claim data of 97.0% of the Korean population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T2DM, coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and peripheral artery disease (PAD) were defined according to ICD-10 codes. We used the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes provided by HIRA to identify associated procedures or surgeries. When calculating incidence, we excluded cases with preexisting T2DM within two years before the index year. A Poisson distribution was assumed when calculating 95% confidence intervals for prevalence and incidence rates. RESULTS: The prevalence of T2DM in Korean adults aged 20-89 years was 6.1-6.9% and the annual incidence rates of T2DM ranged from 9.5-9.8/1,000 person-year (PY) during the study period. The incidence rates of T2DM in men and women aged 20-49 years showed decreasing patterns from 2009 to 2011 (P<0.001); by contrast, the incidence in subjects aged 70-79 years showed increased patterns from 2009 to 2011 (P<0.001). The incidence rates of CAD and CVD in patients newly diagnosed with T2DM were 18.84/1,000 PY and 11.32/1,000 PY, respectively, in the year of diagnosis. Among newly diagnosed individuals with T2DM who were undergoing treatment for PAD, 14.6% underwent angioplasty for CAD during the same period. CONCLUSIONS: Our study measured the national incidences of T2DM, CAD, CVD, and PAD, which are of great concern for public health. We also confirmed the relatively higher risk of CAD and CVD newly detected T2DM patients compared to the general population in Korea.