Utilization and likelihood of radiologic diagnostic imaging in patients with implantable cardiac defibrillators.

PURPOSE: To examine imaging utilization in a matched cohort of patients with and without implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and to project magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) utilization over a 10-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Truven Health MarketScan Commercial claims and Medicare Supplemental health insurance claims data were used to identify patients with continuous health plan enrollment in 2009-2012. Patients with ICDs were identified using ICD-9 and CPT codes, and matched to patients with the same demographic and comorbidity profile, but no record of device implantation. Diagnostic imaging utilization was compared across the matched cohorts, in total, by imaging categories, and in subpopulations of stroke, back pain, and joint pain. MRI use in the nonimplant group over the 4-year period was extrapolated out to 10 years for ICD-indicated patients. RESULTS: A cohort of 18,770 matched patients were identified; average age 65.5 ± 13.38 and 21.9% female. ICD patients had significantly less MRI imaging (0.23 0.70 SD vs. 0.00 0.08 SD, P < 0.0001) than nonimplant patients. Among patients with records of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) (ICD 5%, nonimplant 4%) and accompanying diagnostic imaging, 44% of nonimplant patients underwent MRI vs. 1% of ICD patients (P < 0.0001). Forecast models estimated that 53% to 64% of ICD-eligible patients may require an MRI within 10 years. CONCLUSION: MRI utilization is lower in ICD patients compared to nonimplant patients, yet the burden of incident stroke/TIA, back, and joint pain suggests an unmet need for MR-conditional devices.

Relation of Institutional Mitral Valve Surgical Volume to Surgical and Transcatheter Outcomes in Medicare Patients.

There are limited data to support proposed increases to the minimum institutional mitral valve (MV) surgery volume required to begin a transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) program. The current study examined the association between institutional MV procedure volumes and outcomes. All 2017 Medicare fee-for-service patients who received a TMVr or MV surgery procedure were included and analyzed separately. The exposure was institutional MV surgery volume: low (1 to 24), medium (25 to 39) or high (40+). Outcomes were in-hospital mortality and 1-year postdischarge mortality and cardiovascular rehospitalization. For MV surgery patients, in-hospital mortality rates were 6.4% at low-volume, 8.7% at medium-volume and 9.8% at high-volume facilities. Rates were significantly higher for low-volume [OR = 1.50, 95% CI (1.23 to 1.84)] and medium-volume [OR = 1.33, 95% CI (1.06 to 1.67)] compared with high-volume facilities. There was no statistically significant relationship between institutional MV surgery volume and in-hospital mortality for TMVr patients, either at low-volume [OR = 1.52, 95% CI (0.56, 4.13)] or medium-volume [OR = 1.58, 95% CI (0.82, 3.02)] facilities, compared with high-volume facilities. Across all volume categories, in-hospital mortality rates for TMVr patients were relatively low (2.3% on average). For both cohorts, the rates of 1-year mortality and cardiovascular rehospitalizations were not significantly higher at low- or medium-volume MV surgery facilities, as compared with high-volume. In conclusion, among Medicare patients, there was a relation between institutional MV surgery volume and in-hospital mortality for MV surgery patients, but not for TMVr patients.

Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Associated With Appropriate and Inappropriate Implantable Defibrillator Shocks.

BACKGROUND: In patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, healthcare utilization (HCU) and expenditures related to shocks have not been quantified. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators identified from commercial and Medicare supplemental claims databases linked to adjudicated shock events from remote monitoring data. A shock event was defined as ≥1 spontaneous shocks delivered by an implanted device. Shock-related HCU was ascertained from inpatient and outpatient claims within 7 days following a shock event. Shock events were adjudicated and classified as inappropriate or appropriate, and HCU and expenditures, stratified by shock type, were quantified. Of 10 266 linked patients, 963 (9.4%) patients (61.3±13.6 years; 81% male) had 1885 shock events (56% appropriate, 38% inappropriate, and 6% indeterminate). Of these events, 867 (46%) had shock-related HCU (14% inpatient and 32% outpatient). After shocks, inpatient cardiovascular procedures were common, including echocardiography (59%), electrophysiology study or ablation (34%), stress testing (16%), and lead revision (11%). Cardiac catheterization was common (71% and 51%), but percutaneous coronary intervention was low (6.5% and 5.0%) after appropriate and inappropriate shocks. Expenditures related to appropriate and inappropriate shocks were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: After implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shock, related HCU was common, with 1 in 3 shock events followed by outpatient HCU and 1 in 7 followed by hospitalization. Use of invasive cardiovascular procedures was substantial, even after inappropriate shocks, which comprised 38% of all shocks. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks seem to trigger a cascade of health care. Strategies to reduce shocks could result in cost savings.

Health Care Utilization and Expenditures Associated With Remote Monitoring in Patients With Implantable Cardiac Devices.

Several randomized trials and decision analysis models have found that remote monitoring may reduce health care utilization and expenditures in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), compared with in-office monitoring. However, little is known about the generalizability of these findings to unselected populations in clinical practice. To compare health care utilization and expenditures associated with remote monitoring and in-office monitoring in patients with CIEDs, we used Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Medicare Supplemental Databases. We selected patients newly implanted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D), or permanent pacemaker (PPM), in 2009, who had continuous health plan enrollment 2 years after implantation. Generalized linear models and propensity score matching were used to adjust for confounders and estimate differences in health care utilization and expenditures in patients with remote or in-office monitoring. We identified 1,127; 427; and 1,295 pairs of patients with a similar propensity for receiving an ICD, CRT-D, or PPM, respectively. Remotely monitored patients with ICDs experienced fewer emergency department visits resulting in discharge (p = 0.050). Remote monitoring was associated with lower health care expenditures in office visits among patients with PPMs (p = 0.025) and CRT-Ds (p = 0.006) and lower total inpatient and outpatient expenditures in patients with ICDs (p <0.0001). In conclusion, remote monitoring of patients with CIEDs may be associated with reductions in health care utilization and expenditures compared with exclusive in-office care.

Individual and Combined Risk Factors for Incident Atrial Fibrillation and Incident Stroke: An Analysis of 3 Million At-Risk US Patients.

BACKGROUND: The incremental effects of risk factor combinations for atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke are incompletely understood. We sought to quantify the risks of incident AF and stroke for combinations of established risk factors in a large US sample. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with no evidence of AF or stroke in 2007 were stratified by combinations of the following risk factors: heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, age 65 to 74, age ≥75, coronary artery disease, and chronic kidney disease. Patients with ≥2 of the first 5 or ≥3 of the first 7, classified as "high-risk," and an age-matched sample of patients with fewer risk factors, classified as "low-risk," were followed over 2008-2010 for incident AF and stroke. Annualized incidence rates and risks were quantified for each combination of factors by using Cox regression. Annualized incidence rates for AF, stroke, and both were 3.59%, 3.27%, and 0.62% in 1 851 653 high-risk patients and 1.32%, 1.48%, and 0.18% in 1 156 221 low-risk patients, respectively. Among patients with 1 risk factor, those with age ≥75 had the highest hazards of incident AF and stroke (HR 9.2, 6.9). Among patients with 2 risk factors, those with age ≥75 and heart failure had the highest annualized incidence rates of AF and stroke (10.2%, 5.9%). The combination of age ≥75 and hypertension was prevalent and had the highest incidences of AF and stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with combinations of known risk factors are at increased risk of incident AF and stroke, but combinations of risk factors are not always additive.