Trends in health service use and potentially avoidable hospitalizations before Alzheimer's disease diagnosis: A matched, retrospective study of US Medicare beneficiaries.

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates rates of all-cause emergency department visits, all-cause hospitalizations, potentially avoidable hospitalizations, and falls in 3 years preceding Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis. METHODS: Patients with AD and controls with no cognitive impairment were identified from the Medicare claims data. Patients were required to be aged ≥ 65 years and have continuous Medicare enrollment for ≥4 years before the index date (AD cohort: first AD diagnosis in 2012-2014; controls: randomly selected medical claim). Outcomes for each preindex year were compared among propensity score-matched cohorts. RESULTS: Each year, before index, patients with AD were more likely to have all-cause emergency department visits, all-cause hospitalizations, potentially avoidable hospitalizations, and falls (P < .05 for all comparisons) than matched controls (N = 19,679 pairs). Increasing absolute and relative risks over time were observed for all outcomes. DISCUSSION: The study findings highlight the growing burden of illness before AD diagnosis and emphasize the need for timely recognition and management of patients with AD.