Valuing innovative endoscopic techniques: hemostatic powder for the treatment of GI tumor bleeding.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Access to new endoscopic treatment modalities often depends on price. To resolve this gap and therefore help to ensure that care delivery can occur on a clinical basis, we aimed to establish the value to insurers of novel hemostatic powder to treat GI tumor bleeding. METHODS: A decision-analytic model developed to assess the impact of endoscopic intervention on the risk of 30-day readmission for GI bleeding from an insurer perspective was adapted to assess GI tumor bleeding with hemostatic powder or standard endoscopic therapy. Costs were derived from Medicare populations. Outcomes were derived from a recent multicenter randomized clinical trial. RESULTS: Costs ranged from $651 to $1613 to treat upper GI tumor bleeding and from $531 to $1014 to treat lower GI tumor bleeding based on risk reduction in 30-day hospital readmission for recurrent bleeding. These valuations should represent medical device and incremental facility costs in addition to incremental physician and staff time. CONCLUSIONS: Coverage for novel endoscopic hemostatic powder therapy seems cost-saving to insurers.

Impacto económico de los inhibidores en hemofilia tipo A pediátrica / Economic impact of inhibitors in pediatric hemophilia type A

Resumen Introducción: Pocos estudios han evaluado el impacto económico de los inhibidores en hemofilia tipo A en México, especialmente en población pediátrica. Objetivo: Determinar el impacto económico que conlleva el desarrollo de inhibidores en pacientes pediátricos con hemofilia tipo A. Método: Se evaluaron de forma retrospectiva los pacientes con hemofilia tipo A atendidos en un servicio de hematología pediátrica entre diciembre de 2015 y noviembre de 2017, y se determinaron los costos directos e indirectos a partir de la presencia o ausencia de inhibidores. Resultados: El análisis de costos de la población estudiada (n = 24) mostró que el diagnóstico, seguimiento, profilaxis, tratamiento y hospitalización de estos pacientes tuvo un costo de $6 883 187.4 anuales por paciente, de los cuales más de 95 % dependió del uso de factores hemostáticos. El costo anual por paciente en el grupo con inhibidores tuvo un costo de $5 548 765.0, en comparación con $1 334 422.4 del grupo sin inhibidores, 4.2 veces superior. Conclusiones: Se trata del primer estudio nacional que muestra que el desarrollo de inhibidores en pacientes pediátricos con hemofilia tipo A eleva más de cuatro veces la erogación económica derivada de esta enfermedad.

Abstract Introduction: Few studies have assessed the economic impact of inhibitors in hemophilia A in Mexico, especially in the pediatric population. Objective: To determine the economic impact entailed by the development of inhibitors in pediatric patients with hemophilia A. Method: Patients with hemophilia A under the care of a pediatric hematology department between December 2015 and November 2017 were retrospectively assessed. Direct and indirect costs were determined based on the presence or absence of inhibitors. Results: The cost analysis of the study population (n = 24) showed that diagnosis, follow-up, prophylaxis, treatment and hospitalization of these patients had an annual cost of $ 6 883 187.4 per patient, out of which more than 95 % depended on the use of hemostatic factors. Annual cost per patient in the group with inhibitors was $ 5 548 765.0 in comparison with $ 1 334 422.4 in the group without inhibitors, 4.2 times higher. Conclusions: This is the first national study to show that the presence of inhibitors in pediatric patients with hemophilia A increases the cost of the disease more than four times.