Prediction of higher cost of antiretroviral therapy (ART) according to clinical complexity. A validated clinical index.

BACKGROUND: The financing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is generally determined by the cost incurred in the previous year, the number of patients on treatment, and the evidence-based recommendations, but not the clinical characteristics of the population. OBJECTIVE: To establish a score relating the cost of ART and patient clinical complexity in order to understand the costing differences between hospitals in the region that could be explained by the clinical complexity of their population. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients receiving ART in a tertiary hospital between 2009 and 2011. Factors potentially associated with a higher cost of ART were assessed by bivariate and multivariate analysis. Two predictive models of "high-cost" were developed. The normalized estimated (adjusted for the complexity scores) costs were calculated and compared with the normalized real costs. RESULTS: In the Hospital Index, 631 (16.8%) of the 3758 patients receiving ART were responsible for a "high-cost" subgroup, defined as the highest 25% of spending on ART. Baseline variables that were significant predictors of high cost in the Clinic-B model in the multivariate analysis were: route of transmission of HIV, AIDS criteria, Spanish nationality, year of initiation of ART, CD4+ lymphocyte count nadir, and number of hospital admissions. The Clinic-B score ranged from 0 to 13, and the mean value (5.97) was lower than the overall mean value of the four hospitals (6.16). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical complexity of the HIV patient influences the cost of ART. The Clinic-B and Clinic-BF scores predicted patients with high cost of ART and could be used to compare and allocate costs corrected for the patient clinical complexity.

Cloacal myiasis by Lucilia spp. (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a rooster (Gallus gallus domesticus) and two Harris's hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus).

In this study, cloacal myiasis caused by dipterans of Lucilia genus was found in a rooster (Gallus gallus domesticus) and two Harris's hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) from Peru. Larval dipteran were collected and preserved in ethanol. Morphological analysis indicated two species: Lucilia sericata in the rooster and in one Harris's hawk, and Lucilia cuprina in the other Harris's hawk. Molecular analysis confirmed the diagnosis by amplification of the nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene and internal transcribed spacer 2 region. The sequences were compared with sequence references from a public sequence database, which showed a 100% matched identity. This study demonstrated for first time cloacal myiasis by L. sericata in a domestic bird from Peru and in Harris's hawk. Also, for the first time, L. cuprina was found in a bird of prey.

Prediction of higher cost of antiretroviral therapy (ART) according to clinical complexity. A validated clinical index / Predicción del coste antiretroviral elevado según la complejidad clínica. Validación de un índice clínico

BACKGROUND: The financing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is generally determined by the cost incurred in the previous year, the number of patients on treatment, and the evidence-based recommendations, but not the clinical characteristics of the population. OBJECTIVE: To establish a score relating the cost of ART and patient clinical complexity in order to understand the costing differences between hospitals in the region that could be explained by the clinical complexity of their population. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients receiving ART in a tertiary hospital between 2009 and 2011. Factors potentially associated with a higher cost of ART were assessed by bivariate and multivariate analysis. Two predictive models of 'high-cost' were developed. The normalized estimated (adjusted for the complexity scores) costs were calculated and compared with the normalized real costs. RESULTS: In the Hospital Index, 631 (16.8%) of the 3758 patients receiving ART were responsible for a "high-cost" subgroup, defined as the highest 25% of spending on ART. Baseline variables that were significant predictors of high cost in the Clinic-B model in the multivariate analysis were: route of transmission of HIV, AIDS criteria, Spanish nationality, year of initiation of ART, CD4+ lymphocyte count nadir, and number of hospital admissions. The Clinic-B score ranged from 0 to 13, and the mean value (5.97) was lower than the overall mean value of the four hospitals (6.16). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical complexity of the HIV patient influences the cost of ART. The Clinic-B and Clinic-BF scores predicted patients with high cost of ART and could be used to compare and allocate costs corrected for the patient clinical complexity

ANTECEDENTES: La financiación de la terapia antirretroviral (ART) se determina generalmente por los costos incurridos en el año anterior, el número de pacientes en tratamiento y las recomendaciones basadas en la evidencia, pero no por las características clínicas de la población. OBJETIVO: Establecer un índice que relacione el coste de ART y los pacientes de elevada complejidad clínica con el fin de entender las diferencias de coste entre los hospitales de la región que podrían explicarse por la diferente complejidad clínica de sus poblaciones. MÉTODOS: Análisis retrospectivo de los pacientes que reciben TAR en un hospital terciario entre 2009 y 2011. Los factores potencialmente asociados con un mayor coste de TAR se evaluaron mediante análisis bivariado y multivariado. Se desarrollaron dos modelos de predicción de 'coste elevado'. Se calculó el coste estimado normalizado (ajustado por el índice de complejidad) y se comparó con el coste real normalizado. RESULTADOS: En el hospital índice, 631 (16.8%) de los 3.758 pacientes que recibieron TAR asumió "coste elevado", definido como el 25% más alto del gasto en TAR. Las variables basales que fueron asociadas a alto coste en el modelo Clínic-B en el análisis multivariado fueron: vía de transmisión del VIH, criterios de sida, nacionalidad española, año de inicio del TAR, nadir de CD4+ y número de ingresos hospitalarios. El índice de complejidad Clínic-B varió de 0 a 13 puntos, y el valor medio (5.97) fue menor que el valor medio global de los cuatro hospitales (6.16). CONCLUSIONES: La complejidad clínica de los pacientes VIH influye en el coste de la TAR. Las puntuaciones Clínic-B y Clínic-BF predijeron los pacientes con alto costo de TAR y podrían utilizarse para comparar y asignar costes corregidos según la complejidad clínica de los pacientes