Exploring Care Attributes of Nephrologists Ranking Favorably on Measures of Value.

BACKGROUND: Despite growth in value-based payment, attributes of nephrology care associated with payer-defined value remains unexplored. METHODS: Using national health insurance claims data from private preferred provider organization plans, we ranked nephrology practices using total cost of care and a composite of common quality metrics. Blinded to practice rankings, we conducted site visits at four highly ranked and three average ranked practices to identify care attributes more frequently present in highly ranked practices. A panel of nephrologists used a modified Delphi method to score each distinguishing attribute on its potential to affect quality and cost of care and ease of transfer to other nephrology practices. RESULTS: Compared with average-value peers, high-value practices were located in areas with a relatively higher proportion of black and Hispanic patients and a lower proportion of patients aged >65 years. Mean risk-adjusted per capita monthly total spending was 24% lower for high-value practices. Twelve attributes comprising five general themes were observed more frequently in high-value nephrology practices: preventing near-term costly health crises, supporting patient self-care, maximizing effectiveness of office visits, selecting cost-effective diagnostic and treatment options, and developing infrastructure to support high-value care. The Delphi panel rated four attributes highly on effect and transferability: rapidly adjustable office visit frequency for unstable patients, close monitoring and management to preserve kidney function, early planning for vascular access, and education to support self-management at every contact. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this small-scale exploratory study may serve as a starting point for nephrologists seeking to improve on payer-specified value measures.

Do Medicare Advantage Plans Respond to Payment Changes? A Look at the Data from 2009 to 2014.

Issue: Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment has grown significantly since 2009, despite legislation that reduced what Medicare pays these plans to provide care to enrollees. MA payments, on average, now approach parity with costs in traditional Medicare. Goal: Examine changes in per enrollee costs between 2009 and 2014 to better understand how MA plans have continued to thrive even as payments decreased. Methods: Analysis of Medicare data on MA plan bids, net of rebates. Findings: While spending per beneficiary in traditional Medicare rose 5.0 percent between 2009 and 2014, MA payment benchmarks rose 1.5 percent and payment to plans decreased by 0.7 percent. Plans' expected per enrollee costs grew 2.6 percent. Plans where payment rates decreased generally had slower growth in their expected costs. HMOs, which saw their payments decline the most, had the slowest expected cost growth. Conclusions: In general, MA plans responded to lower payment by containing costs. By preserving most of the margin between Medicare payments and their bids in the form of rebates, they could continue to offer additional benefits to attract enrollees. The magnitude of this response varied by geographic area and plan type. Despite this slower growth in expected per enrollee costs, greater efficiencies by MA plans may still be achievable.

Narrow Networks on the Individual Marketplace in 2017.

This Issue Brief describes the breadth of physician networks on the ACA marketplaces in 2017. We find that the overall rate of narrow networks is 21%, which is a decline since 2014 (31%) and 2016 (25%). Narrow networks are concentrated in plans sold on state-based marketplaces, at 42%, compared to 10% of plans on federally-facilitated marketplaces. Issuers that have traditionally offered Medicaid coverage have the highest prevalence of narrow network plans at 36%, with regional/local plans and provider-based plans close behind at 27% and 30%. We also find large differences in narrow networks by state and by plan type.

The Affordable Care Act and Access to Care for People Changing Coverage Sources.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated how access to and continuity of care might be affected by transitions between health insurance coverage sources, including the Marketplace (also called the Exchange), Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). METHODS: From January to February 2014 and from August to September 2014, we searched provider directories for networks of primary care physicians and selected pediatric specialists participating in Marketplace, Medicaid, and CHIP in 6 market areas of the United States and calculated the degree to which networks overlapped. RESULTS: Networks of physicians in Medicaid and CHIP were nearly identical, meaning transitions between those programs may not result in much physician disruption. This was not the case for Marketplace and Medicaid and CHIP networks. CONCLUSIONS: Transitions from the Marketplace to Medicaid or CHIP may result in different degrees of physician disruption for consumers depending on where they live and what type of Marketplace product they purchase.

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy and myocardial infarction risk in patients with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or both.

OBJECTIVES: To stratify MI risk reduction in those treated with a TNF inhibitor for psoriasis only, psoriatic arthritis only, or both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Between January 1, 2004 and November 30, 2010. PARTICIPANTS: At least 3 ICD9 codes for psoriasis (696.1) or psoriatic arthritis (696.0) (without antecedent MI. INTERVENTION: None MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident MI. RESULTS: When comparing to those not treated with TNF inhibitors (reference group), of those treated with TNF inhibitors: those with psoriasis only (N= 846) had a significant decrease in MI risk (hazard ratio (HR), 0.26; 95% CI, 0.12-0.56); those with psoriatic arthritis only (N= 112) had a non-significant decrease in MI risk (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.28-2.70); those with both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (N= 715) had a non-significant decrease in MI risk (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.47-1.24). CONCLUSIONS: In the TNF inhibitor cohort, those with psoriasis only have the strongest association with MI risk reduction, followed by those with psoriatic arthritis only, and then followed by those with both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

National access to care for children with fractures.

BACKGROUND: Access to health care for many pediatric orthopaedic patients is becoming more difficult. In some communities, children with fractures have limited access to care regardless of insurance status. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of difficulty in obtaining access to care for children with fractures nationally and compare our results to the published results of a national survey in 2006. METHODS: Five orthopaedic offices were identified in each state using an internet search with Google maps by typing "general orthopedics" under the search heading for each state. Each office was contacted with a scripted phone call describing a fracture in a 10-year-old boy that does not involve the growth plate. The office was then told the patient has Medicaid insurance. If no appointment was given, the reason was recorded and the office was asked to refer us to another orthopaedic surgeon. A second phone call was made to the same office a few days later using the same script but the office was told the patient has a private preferred-provider organization insurance. If no appointment was given, the reason was recorded. RESULTS: Of the 250 (23.6%) offices across the country, 59 would see a pediatric fracture patient with Medicaid. 41.3% (79/191) of the offices refusing the patient stated that they do not accept Medicaid patients. Of the 250, 205 (82%) of the offices across the country would see a pediatric fracture patient with a private preferred-provider organization insurance. The 10 states with lowest Medicaid reimbursement offered an appointment 6% of the time, whereas the 10 best reimbursing states offered an appointment 44% of the time. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The access to care for children with fractures is becoming more difficult across the country. Compared with the published data in 2006, the number of offices willing to see a child with private insurance has decreased from 92% to 82%. The number of offices willing to see a child with a fracture and Medicaid insurance has decreased from 62% to 23% over the same time span.

Medical expenditures for hypertensive disorders during pregnancy that resulted in a live birth among privately insured women.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the excess maternal health services utilization and direct maternal medical expenditures associated with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy and one year postpartum among women with private insurance in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: We used 2008-2014 IBM MarketScan® Commercial Databases to identify women aged 15-44 who had a pregnancy resulting in live birth during 1/1/09-12/31/13 and were continuously enrolled with non-capitated or partially capitated coverage from 12 months before pregnancy through 12 months after delivery. Hypertensive disorders identified by diagnosis codes were categorized into three mutually exclusive types: preeclampsia and eclampsia, chronic hypertension, and gestational hypertension. Multivariate negative binomial and generalized linear models were used to estimate service utilization and expenditures, respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Per person excess health services utilization and medical expenditures during pregnancy and one year postpartum associated with hypertensive disorders (in 2014 US dollars). RESULTS: Women with preeclampsia and eclampsia, chronic hypertension, and gestational hypertension had $9,389, $6,041, and $2,237 higher mean medical expenditures compared to women without hypertensive disorders ($20,252), respectively (ps < 0.001). One-third (36%) of excess expenditure associated with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy was attributable to outpatient services. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy were associated with significantly higher health services utilization and medical expenditures among privately insured women with hypertensive disorders. Medical expenditures varied by types of hypertensive disorders. Stakeholders can use this information to assess the potential economic benefits of interventions that prevent these conditions or their complications.

Subacute lack of asthma control and acute asthma exacerbation history as predictors of subsequent acute asthma exacerbations: evidence from managed care data.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring indicators of subacute lack of asthma control (SALAC) may help to reduce asthma morbidity. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether SALAC, independent of current asthma exacerbations, is associated with subsequent acute asthma exacerbations. METHODS: Administrative claims data from PharMetrics/IMS Health were used to identify patients 12 years or older continuously enrolled in a participating U.S. health plan from 2001 to 2004 with >or=1 asthma claim (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 493.x), no chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cystic fibrosis claims, and >or=1 prescription for an asthma medication during 2001-2004. SALAC was defined as more than 4 asthma-related physician visits (or >or=2/quarter) or more than 5 short-acting beta((2))-adrenergic agonist prescriptions during 2001. Effect of asthma control category (Exacerbation Only [EO], SALAC Only [SO], Both Exacerbation and SALAC [Both], Neither Exacerbation nor SALAC [Neither]) in 2001 on acute asthma exacerbations (hospitalization, emergency department visit, or short-term oral corticosteroid use) during 2002-2004 was assessed using logistic regression, adjusting for gender, age, health plan type, and region. RESULTS: Of 11,779 patients, 8% were assigned to the EO group, 26% to SO, 12% to Both, and 54% to Neither in 2001. The incidence of exacerbations in 2002-2004 was higher for Both (61.8%) versus EO (55.0%) and for SO (37.3%) versus Neither (31.9%). The risk of exacerbation in 2002-2004 was increased significantly (p < .0001) for Both (3.394; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.009, 3.827), EO (2.503; 95% CI = 2.176, 2.879), and SO (1.277; 95% CI = 1.166, 1.399) versus Neither. CONCLUSION: In this study, the risk of subsequent exacerbation was greatest in patients with both SALAC and acute asthma exacerbations, followed by those with exacerbations only and those with SALAC only. SO identified an additional 26% of asthma patients at increased risk for subsequent exacerbation. The results from this study demonstrate that SALAC indicators and a history of acute asthma exacerbations are independent predictors of future acute asthma exacerbations and highlight the important role of subacute asthma worsening in predicting and preventing future asthma exacerbations.

Access to care for children with fractures.

BACKGROUND: Earlier studies have found that children with fractures and PPO insurance have no access problems to orthopaedic care, but children with Medicaid have problems with access to orthopaedic care. METHODS: Fifty randomly selected orthopaedic offices in each of the 2 counties served by a children's hospital were telephoned to seek an appointment for a fictitious 10-year-old boy with a forearm fracture. Each office was called twice, 1 time reporting that the child had PPO insurance and 1 time that he was having Medicaid. In the second arm of the study, data including insurance status were prospectively collected on all patients with fractures seen in the emergency department of children's hospital. RESULTS: Of the 100 offices telephoned, 8 offices gave an appointment within 1 week to the child with Medicaid insurance. Thirty-six of the 100 offices gave an appointment within 1 week to the child with PPO insurance. For the 2210 pediatric fractures seen in the emergency department, the payer mix for patients presenting initially to our facility (1326 patients) was 41% Medicaid, 9% selfpay, and 50% commercial. For the patients presenting to our emergency department after being seen at an outside facility first (884 patients), the payer mix was 47% Medicaid, 13% self-pay, and 40% commercial. The percentages between these two groups were similar but did have a statistically significant difference (P=0.021). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports a majority (64/100) of orthopaedic offices in the region would not care for a child with a fracture regardless of insurance status. Consistent with earlier studies, children with Medicaid have less access to care. The similar insurance status of children sent to the emergency department from other facilities compared with those presenting directly suggests that children in this study are sent to a children's hospital for specialized care rather than for economic reasons. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Association of insurance type with time course of care in head and neck cancer management.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To determine differences in time course of care based on major insurance types for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Retrospective study of Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), and Medicare patients with biopsy-proven diagnosis of HNSCC referred to an academic tertiary center for tumor resection and adjuvant therapy. In addition to patient demographic information and tumor characteristics, duration of chief complaint and the following time points were collected: biopsy by referring physician, first specialty surgeon clinic appointment, surgery, and adjuvant radiation start and stop dates. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase in time interval for HMO (n = 32) patients from chief complaint to biopsy (P = .003), biopsy to first specialty surgeon clinic appointment (P < .001), and surgery to start of adjuvant radiation (P < .001) compared to that of Medicare (n = 31) and PPO (n = 41) patients. Adjuvant radiation was initiated ≤6 weeks after surgery in 22% of HMO (mean duration of 59 ± 17 days), 48% of Medicare (44 ± 13 days), and 61% of PPO (41 ± 12 days) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to PPO and Medicare patients, HMO patients begin adjuvant radiation after surgery later and experience treatment delays in transitions of care between provider types and with referrals to specialists. Delaying radiation after 6 weeks of surgery is a known prognostic factor, with insurance type playing a possible role. Further investigation is required to identify insurance type as an independent risk factor of delayed access to care for HNSCC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E587-E592, 2020.

Which preferred providers are really preferred? Effectiveness of insurers' channeling incentives on pharmacy choice.

Efficient contracting of health care requires effective consumer channeling. Little is known about the effectiveness of channeling strategies. We study channeling incentives on pharmacy choice using a large scale discrete choice experiment. Financial incentives prove to be effective. Positive financial incentives are less effective than negative financial incentives. Channeling through qualitative incentives also leads to a significant impact on provider choice. While incentives help to channel, a strong status quo bias needs to be overcome before consumers change pharmacies. Focusing on consumers who are forced to choose a new pharmacy seems to be the most effective strategy.

Provider Acceptance And Beneficiary Access Under TRICARE's PPO Health Plan.

TRICARE provides health benefits to more than nine million beneficiaries (active duty and retired military members and their families). Complaints about access to civilian providers in TRICARE's preferred provider organization (PPO) plan led Congress to mandate surveys of beneficiaries and providers to identify the extent of the problem and the reasons for it. The beneficiary survey asked about beneficiaries' perceived access to care, and the provider survey asked about providers' acceptance of TRICARE patients. TRICARE's civilian PPO plans are required to maintain provider networks wherever TRICARE's health maintenance organization option (known as Prime) is offered. For the years 2012-15, we describe beneficiary access and utilization and provider participation in TRICARE's PPO plans in Prime and non-Prime markets. We also compare individual market rankings for access and acceptance. In both market types, most providers reported participating in TRICARE's PPO network, and most PPO users reported using network providers. In areas where Prime is not offered, PPO users reported slightly better access, and providers were more likely to accept new PPO patients. Areas with low access and acceptance, or where multiple access measures indicate problems, may be fruitful for in-depth investigation.

Patient responsiveness to a differential deductible: empirical results from The Netherlands.

Health insurers may use financial incentives to encourage their enrollees to choose preferred providers for medical treatment. Empirical evidence whether differences in cost-sharing rates across providers affects patient choice behavior is, especially from Europe, limited. This paper examines the effect of a differential deductible to steer patient provider choice in a Dutch regional market for varicose veins treatment. Using individual patients' choice data and information about their out-of-pocket payments covering the year of the experiment and 1 year before, we estimate a conditional logit model that explicitly controls for pre-existing patient preferences. Our results suggest that in this natural experiment designating preferred providers and waiving the deductible for enrollees using these providers significantly influenced patient choice. The average cross-price elasticity of demand is found to be 0.02, indicating that patient responsiveness to the cost-sharing differential itself was low. Unlike fixed cost-sharing differences, the deductible exemption was conditional on the patient's other medical expenses occurring in the policy year. The differential deductible did, therefore, not result in a financial benefit for patients with annual costs exceeding their total deductible.

Primary Care Physician Networks In Medicare Advantage.

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans often establish restrictive networks of covered providers. Some policy makers have raised concerns that networks may have become excessively restrictive over time, potentially interfering with patients' access to providers. Because of data limitations, little is known about the breadth of MA networks. Taking a novel approach, we used Medicare Part D claims data for 2011-15 to examine how primary care physician networks have changed over time and what demographic and plan characteristics are associated with varying levels of network breadth. Our findings indicate that the share of MA plans with broad networks increased from 80.1 percent in 2011 to 82.5 percent in 2015. Enrollment in broad-network plans grew from 54.1 percent to 64.9 percent over the same period. In an adjusted analysis, we detected no significant time trend. In addition, narrow networks were associated with urbanicity, higher income, higher physician density, and more competition among plans. Health maintenance organizations had narrower networks than did point-of-service plans, whose networks were narrower than those of preferred provider organizations.

Behavioral Health Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act: What Can We Learn From Marketplace Products?

OBJECTIVE: The 2008 federal parity law and the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) sought to expand access to behavioral health services. There was concern that health plans might discourage enrollment by individuals with behavioral health conditions who tend to be higher cost. This study compared behavioral health benefits available in the group insurance market (nonmarketplace) to those sold through the ACA marketplaces to check for evidence of less generous behavioral health coverage in marketplace plans. METHODS: Data were from a 2014 nationally representative survey of commercial health plans regarding behavioral health services (80% response rate). The sample included the most common silver marketplace product and, as a comparison, the most common nonmarketplace product of the same type (for example, health maintenance organization or preferred provider organization) from each health plan (N=106 marketplace and nonmarketplace pairs, or 212 products). RESULTS: Marketplace and nonmarketplace products were similar in terms of coverage, prior authorization, and continuing review requirements. Marketplace products were more likely to employ narrow and tiered behavioral health provider networks. Narrow and tiered networks were more common in state than in federal marketplaces. CONCLUSIONS: Provider network design is a tool that health plans may use to control cost and possibly discourage enrollment by high-cost users, including those with behavioral health conditions. The ACA was successful in ensuring robust behavioral health coverage in marketplace plans. As the marketplaces evolve or are replaced, these data provide an important baseline to which future systems can be compared.

Gatekeeping and patterns of outpatient care post healthcare reform.

OBJECTIVES: As US healthcare spending increases, insurers are focusing attention on decreasing potentially avoidable specialist care. Little recent research has assessed whether the design of modern health maintenance organization (HMO) insurance is associated with lower utilization of outpatient specialty care versus less restrictive preferred provider organization (PPO) plans. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study of Massachusetts residents aged 21 to 64 years with any HMO or PPO insurance coverage from 2010 to 2013. METHODS: We examined rates and patterns of primary care visits, new specialist visits, and specialist spending among HMO versus PPO enrollees. We estimated multivariable regression models for each outcome, adjusting for patient and insurance characteristics. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2013, 546,397 and 295,427 individuals had continuous HMO or PPO coverage, respectively. HMO patients had fewer annual new specialist visits per member versus PPO patients (unadjusted, 0.37 vs 0.43), a difference after adjustment of 0.05 annual visits, or a 12% relative decrease among HMO members (P <.001). These visits were more likely to be with a specialist in the same health system as the patient's primary care physician (44.9% vs 40.7%; adjusted difference, 2.8 percentage points; P <.001). Mean annual spending on new specialist visits and subsequent follow-up per member was lower in HMO versus PPO patients (unadjusted, $104.10 vs $128.10), translating to 12% lower annual spending (adjusted difference, -$16.26; P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Having HMO insurance was associated with lower rates of new specialist visits and lower spending on specialist visits, and these visits were less likely to occur across multiple health systems. The impact of this change on overall spending and clinical outcomes remains unknown.

A gap analysis approach to assess patient persistence with glaucoma medication.

PURPOSE: To develop an alternative method for analysis of patient persistence with prescribed medications using the prostaglandin class of intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering drugs as a model. DESIGN: A retrospective study of prescription refill patterns. METHODS: Patients with a pharmacy claim for a 2.5 ml bottle of latanoprost, travoprost, or bimatoprost between September 1, 2002 and December 31, 2002 were identified from a retail pharmacy database and were followed up for 12 months. Three separate analyses defined gaps in therapy as spans in excess of 45, 60, or 120 days without a refill for the same medication. Patients were categorized by the number of gaps in therapy and the cumulative length of gaps. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted using a 120-day allowable refill period. RESULTS: For refill periods of 45, 60, and 120 days, 10.6%, 28.6%, and 77.5% of patients, respectively, had no gaps in therapy, and 32.6%, 53.4%, and 86.5%, respectively, had 30 days or fewer off therapy annually. According to the 45-day threshold analysis, 50.7% of patients had three or more gaps vs 18.5% in the 60-day analysis and none in the 120-day analysis. The Kaplan-Meier curve shows 88.6% and 76.1% of patients were persistent for 120 days and one year, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with Kaplan-Meier survival curves, the gap analysis approach may better parallel clinical experience with patient persistence, in which patients stop and restart medications for a variety of reasons over time. This method also may help to identify avenues for investigation of lack of persistency among many patients.

The role of product design in consumers' choices in the individual insurance market.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of health plan benefit design and price on consumers' decisions to purchase health insurance in the nongroup market and their choice of plan. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Administrative data from the three largest nongroup insurers in California and survey data about those insured in the nongroup market and the uninsured in California. STUDY DESIGN: We fit a nested logit model to examine the effects of plan characteristics on consumer choice while accounting for substitutability among certain groups of products. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Product choice is quite sensitive to price. A 10 percent decrease in the price of a product would increase its market share by about 20 percent. However, a 10 percent decrease in prices of all products would only increase overall market participation by about 4 percent. Changes in the generosity of coverage will also affect product choice, but have only small effects on overall participation. A 20 percent decrease in the deductible or maximum out-of-pocket payment of all plans would increase participation by about 0.3-0.5 percent. Perceived information search costs and other nonprice barriers have substantial effects on purchase of nongroup coverage. CONCLUSIONS: Modest subsidies will have small effects on purchase in the nongroup market. New product designs with higher deductibles are likely to be more attractive to healthy purchasers, but the new benefit designs are likely to have only small effects on market participation. In contrast, consumer education efforts have a role to play in helping to expand coverage.

Medical costs and resource utilization for hemophilia patients with and without HIV or HCV infection.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that hemophilia patients infected in the 1980s with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) from the blood supply have increased morbidity and mortality. Although the possibility of contracting HIV or HCV through contaminated blood products has been virtually eliminated in the United States, approximately one third of hemophiliacs between the ages of 21 and 60 years are HIV infected. OBJECTIVE: To determine the health care resource utilization of adult hemophilia patients with and without HIV and HCV infection in a commercially insured population in the United States. METHODS: This was a retrospective claims analysis of the PharMetrics Patient-Centric database over an approximately 7-year period from January 1997 to April 2004. The database represents about 43 million members in commercial health plans. Male patients continuously enrolled for at least 6 months and >18 years of age were included in the study; female patients were excluded since they were likely to have von Willebrand disease. Hemophilia patients were identified if they had at least 1 claim with a primary diagnosis of hemophilia (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 286.XX) and at least 1 claim for a hemophilia drug (identified by National Drug Code number and J codes: J7190-J7199, Q0187 or Q2022). Clotting factor inhibitor patients identified through the dispensation of an activated prothrombin complex concentrate or recombinant factor VIIa were excluded from the study. Virally infected patients were identified as those hemophilia patients with at least 1 claim with a HIV diagnosis (ICD-9-CM codes 042.xx, 079.53) or HCV infection (ICD-9-CM codes 070.41, 070.44, 070.51, 070.54). Four cohorts for analysis were established: hemophilia without HIV or HCV coinfection (H-only); hemophilia + HIV (H + HIV); hemophilia + HCV (H + HCV); and hemophilia + HIV + HCV (H + HIV + HCV). The index date was defined as the first day of enrollment. Follow-up lasted until the end of the patient's enrollment or the end of the study period. The main outcomes of the study were (1) annualized net costs paid by health plans (after subtracting member cost-share) associated with all pharmacy and medical claims and (2) office visit distribution overall and by physician specialty during the study period. RESULTS: A total of 166 patients were identified for the study--73 with H-only, 12 with H + HIV, 44 with H + HCV, and 37 with H + HIV + HCV. The mean (median) annualized total cost of care in 2004 dollars was $90,942 ($63,613) for the H-only cohort versus $108,862 ($64,782, P = 0.512) for the H + HIV cohort; $104,404 ($66,489, P = 0.377) for the H+HCV cohort; and $144,462 ($111,542, P = 0.005) for the H + HIV + HCV coinfected cohort. Clotting factor accounted for 78% - 86% of total health care costs for all 4 groups of patients. Compared with the H-only cohort ($2,136), the H + HIV, H + HCV, and H + HIV + HCV cohorts had significantly higher mean non-hemophilia prescription drug costs ($8,239 [P = 0.001]; $7,275 [P = 0.034]; and $12,360 [P < 0.001], respectively). The H + HIV + HCV cohort had significantly higher hospital inpatient costs than did the H-only cohort ($5,655 vs. $3,360, respectively, P = 0.015). Mean annualized outpatient costs were higher in the H + HIV + HCV cohort ($12,897, P < 0.001) and H + HCV cohort ($7,233, P = 0.016) than in the H-only cohort ($7,216). Mean annualized total numbers of office visits were higher for the H + HCV (11.18, P = 0.003) and H + HIV + HCV (18.33, P < 0.001) cohorts than for the H-only cohort (6.98). Compared with the H-only cohort, the H + HIV + HCV cohort had a greater mean annualized number of visits to infectious disease specialists (3.75 vs. 0.12, P < 0.001) and to gastroenterology specialists (1.22 vs. 0.09, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The presence of HIV and HCV coinfection in hemophiliacs is associated with 59% (95% confidence interval, 34.8%, 82.9%) greater annual health care costs compared with costs for hemophilia alone. Coinfection with HIV and HCV is associated with significantly greater component costs for clotting factor, prescription drugs, inpatient services, and outpatient services.