The impact of specialized pediatric palliative care on advance care planning and healthcare utilization in children and young adults: a retrospective analysis of medical records of in-hospital deaths.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric palliative care supports children and young adults with life-limiting conditions and their families, seeking to minimize suffering and enhance quality of life. This study evaluates the impact of specialized palliative care (SPC) on advance care planning (ACP) and patterns of end-of-life care for patients who died in the hospital. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of medical records extracted from a clinical data warehouse, covering patients who died aged 0-24 in an academic tertiary children's hospital in South Korea. Participants were categorized into before (2011-2013; pre-period) and after (2017-2019; post-period) the introduction of an SPC service. Within the post-period, patients were further categorized into SPC recipients and non-recipients. RESULTS: We identified 274 and 205 patients in the pre-period and post-period, respectively. ACP was conducted more and earlier in the post-period than in the pre-period, and in patients who received palliative care than in those who did not. Patients who received SPC were likely to receive less mechanical ventilation or cardiopulmonary resuscitation and more opioids. A multivariable regression model showed that earlier ACP was associated with not being an infant, receiving SPC, and having a neurological or neuromuscular disease. CONCLUSIONS: SPC involvement was associated with more and earlier ACP and less intense end-of-life care for children and young adults who died in the hospital. Integrating palliative care into routine care can improve the quality of end-of-life care by reflecting patients' and their families' values and preferences.

Prevention and Risk Assessment of Cardiac Device Infections in Clinical Practice.

The implantation of cardiac electronic devices (CIEDs), including pacemakers and defibrillators, has become increasingly prevalent in recent years and has been accompanied by a significant rise in cardiac device infections (CDIs), which pose a substantial clinical and economic burden. CDIs are associated with hospitalizations and prolonged antibiotic therapy and often necessitate device removal, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs worldwide. Approximately 1-2% of CIED implants are associated with infections, making this a critical issue to address. In this contemporary review, we discuss the burden of CDIs with their risk factors, healthcare costs, prevention strategies, and clinical management.

Impact of Atrial Fibrillation Burden on Health Care Costs and Utilization.

BACKGROUND: Integrating patient-specific cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED)-detected atrial fibrillation (AF) burden with measures of health care cost and utilization allows for an accurate assessment of the AF-related impact on health care use. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess the incremental cost of device-recognized AF vs no AF; compare relative costs of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF), persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF), and permanent atrial fibrillation (PermAF) AF; and evaluate rates and sources of health care utilization between cohorts. METHODS: Using the de-identified Optum Clinformatics U.S. claims database (2015-2020) linked with the Medtronic CareLink database, CIED patients were identified who transmitted data ≥6 months postimplantation. Annualized per-patient costs in follow-up were analyzed from insurance claims and adjusted to 2020 U.S. dollars. Costs and rates of health care utilization were compared between patients with no AF and those with device-recognized pAF, PeAF, and PermAF. Analyses were adjusted for geographical region, insurance type, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and implantation year. RESULTS: Of 21,391 patients (mean age 72.9 ± 10.9 years; 56.3% male) analyzed, 7,798 (36.5%) had device-recognized AF. The incremental annualized increased cost in those with AF was $12,789 ± $161,749 per patient, driven by increased rates of health care encounters, adverse clinical events associated with AF, and AF-specific interventions. Among those with AF, PeAF was associated with the highest cost, driven by increased rates of inpatient and outpatient hospitalization encounters, heart failure hospitalizations, and AF-specific interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of device-recognized AF was associated with increased health care cost. Among those with AF, patients with PeAF had the highest health care costs. Mechanisms for cost differentials include both disease-specific consequences and physician-directed interventions.

Cost awareness among intensivists in their daily clinical practice: a prospective multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Better cost-awareness is a prerogative in achieving the best benefit/risk/cost ratio in the care. We aimed to assess the cost-awareness of intensivists in their daily clinical practice and to identify factors associated with accurate estimate of cost (50-150% of the real cost). METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study in seven French ICUs. We compared the estimate of intensivists of the daily costs of caring with the real costs on a given day. The estimates covered five categories (drugs, laboratory tests, imaging modalities, medical devices, and waste) whose sum represented the overall cost. RESULTS: Of the 234 estimates made by 65 intensivists, 70 (29.9%) were accurate. The median overall cost estimate (€330 [170; 620]) was significantly higher than the real cost (€178 [124; 239], p < 0.001). This overestimation was found in four categories, in particular for waste (€40 [15; 100] vs. €1.1 [0.6; 2.3], p < 0.001). Only the laboratory tests were underestimated (€65 [30; 120] vs. €106 [79; 138], p < 0.001). Being aware of the financial impact of prescriptions was factor associated with accurate estimate (OR: 5.05, 95%CI:1.47-17.4, p = 0.01). However, feeling able to accurately perform estimation was factor negatively associated with accurate estimate (OR: 0.11, 95%CI: 0.02-0.71, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: French intensivists have a poor awareness of costs in their daily clinical practice. Raising awareness of the financial impact of prescriptions, and of the cost of laboratory tests and waste are the main areas for improvement that could help achieve the objective of the best care at the best cost.

Why is end-of-life inpatient cost high among cancer patients? A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Inpatient cost for cancer patients is high during the last year of life, but reasons for this are not understood. We aim to understand the type of hospital admissions and inpatient services associated with an increase in inpatient cost in last year of life. METHODS: We used survey and billing records of 439 deceased patients with a solid metastatic cancer, enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Based on cost per day of inpatient admissions, we classified admissions as low- or high-intensity. We decomposed the inpatient cost into cost for different inpatient services. We examined the inpatient cost in the last year of life. We also assessed patient characteristics associated with higher inpatient cost in the next 3 months. RESULTS: Towards death, proportion of inpatient cost for "maintenance care" increased while that for intensive care unit (ICU) and surgeries decreased. Low-intensity, compared to high-intensity admissions had a higher proportion of cost for "maintenance care" and a lower proportion for surgeries and ICU. Number of low-intensity admissions increased more steeply towards death than high-intensity admissions. Both admission types contributed equally to the share of inpatient cost. Older patients were less likely to have a high-intensity admission (ß:-0.01, CI: -0.02, 0.00). Greater preference for life extension (ß: 0.06, CI: 0.01, 0.11) and inaccurate prognostic belief were associated with higher cost of high-intensity admissions (ß: 0.32, CI: 0.03, 0.62). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that inpatient costs in last year of life may be reduced if maintenance care is availed in low-cost settings such as hospice/palliative care alongside steps to reduce non-beneficial surgeries and ICU admissions.

High-Intensity Aphasia Therapy Is Cost-Effective in People With Poststroke Aphasia: Evidence From the COMPARE Trial.

BACKGROUND: Evidence from systematic reviews confirms that speech and language interventions for people with aphasia during the chronic phase after stroke (>6 months) improve word retrieval, functional communication, and communication-related quality of life. However, there is limited evidence of their cost-effectiveness. We aimed to estimate the cost per quality-adjusted life year gained from 2 speech and language therapies compared with usual care in people with aphasia during the chronic phase (median, 2.9 years) after stroke. METHODS: A 3-arm, randomized controlled trial compared constraint-induced aphasia therapy plus (CIAT-Plus) and multimodality aphasia therapy (M-MAT) with usual care in 216 people with chronic aphasia. Participants were administered a standardized questionnaire before intervention and at 12 weeks after the 2-week intervention/control period to ascertain health service utilization, employment changes, and informal caregiver burden. Unit prices from Australian sources were used to estimate costs in 2020. Quality-adjusted life years were estimated using responses to the EuroQol-5 Dimension-3 Level questionnaire. To test uncertainty around the differences in costs and outcomes between groups, bootstrapping was used with the cohorts resampled 1000 times. RESULTS: Overall 201/216 participants were included (mean age, 63 years, 29% moderate or severe aphasia, 61 usual care, 70 CIAT-Plus, 70 M-MAT). There were no statistically significant differences in mean total costs ($13 797 usual care, $17 478 CIAT-Plus, $11 113 M-MAT) and quality-adjusted life years (0.19 usual care, 0.20 CIAT-Plus, 0.20 M-MAT) between groups. In bootstrapped analysis of CIAT-Plus, 21.5% of iterations were likely to result in better outcomes and be cost saving (dominant) compared with usual care. In contrast, 72.4% of iterations were more favorable for M-MAT than usual care. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that both treatments, but especially M-MAT, may result in better outcomes at an acceptable additional cost, or potentially with cost savings. These findings are relevant in advocating for the use of these therapies for chronic aphasia after stroke.

Characterizing emergency department and inpatient health care utilization after seizure-related hospitalization: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Seizure care is a significant driver of health care costs in both emergency department (ED) and inpatient settings, but the majority of studies have focused on inpatient admissions as the only metric of health care utilization. This study aims to better characterize ED and inpatient encounters among patients with seizure to inform care and policy. METHODS: Using statewide administrative data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases and State Emergency Department Databases from Florida and New York, we identified patients with a seizure-related index hospitalization between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. Among this cohort, we examined the incidence and characteristics of subsequent acute care visits in the ED and inpatient settings for 365 days after initial hospital discharge. RESULTS: A total of 54 456 patients had an eligible seizure-related hospitalization. Patients were 49% female, predominantly White (64%) and non-Hispanic (84%), and used a public primary payer (68%). There were 36 838 (68%) patients with at least one acute care visit in the year following discharge. Overall, patients had a median of 2 (interquartile [IQR] = 1-5) subsequent acute care visits and the median time to first acute care visit was 53 days (IQR = 15-138). Of the 154 369 subsequent acute care visits, 97 399 (63%) were ED-only visits, 56 970 (37%) were readmissions, and 37 176 (24%) were seizure-related. There were 18 786 patients (35%) with four or more acute care visits over 365 days of follow-up. Patients with four or more visits contributed 84% of acute care visits and 78% of costs after initial hospitalization. SIGNIFICANCE: The majority of patients hospitalized for seizure return to the ED or hospital at least once in the year after discharge. A small portion of patients account for the majority of ED and inpatient visits as well as health care costs associated with this population, identifying a subgroup of patients who may benefit from improved inpatient and outpatient management.

Has pharmaceutical innovation reduced the average cost of U.S. health care episodes?

A number of authors have argued that technological innovation has increased U.S. health care spending. We investigate the impact that pharmaceutical innovation had on the average cost of U.S. health care episodes during the period 2000-2014, using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis' Health Care Satellite Account and other sources. We analyze the relationship across approximately 200 diseases between the growth in the number of drugs that have been approved to treat the disease and the subsequent growth in the mean amount spent per episode of care, controlling for the growth in the number of episodes and other factors. Our estimates indicate that mean episode cost is not significantly related to the number of drugs ever approved 0-4 years before, but it is significantly inversely related to the number of drugs ever approved 5-20 years before. This delay is consistent with the fact (which we document) that utilization of a drug is relatively low during the first few years after it was approved, and that some drugs may have to be consumed for several years to have their maximum impact on treatment cost. Our estimates of the effect of pharmaceutical innovation on the average cost of health care episodes are quite insensitive to the weights used and to whether we control for 3 covariates. Our most conservative estimates imply that the drugs approved during 1986-1999 reduced mean episode cost by 4.7%, and that the drugs approved during 1996-2009 reduced mean episode cost by 2.1%. If drug approvals did not affect the number of episodes, the drugs approved during 1986-1999 would have reduced 2014 medical expenditure by about $93 billion. However, drug approvals may have affected the number, as well as the average cost, of episodes. We also estimate models of hospital utilization. The number of hospital days is significantly inversely related to the number of drugs ever approved 10-19 years before, controlling for the number of disease episodes. Our estimates imply that the drugs approved during 1984-1997 reduced the number of hospital days by 10.5%. The hospital cost reduction was larger than expenditure on the drugs.

Cost Analysis of Remote Cardiac Rehabilitation Compared With Facility-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation for Coronary Artery Disease.

Remote cardiac rehabilitation (RCR) represents a promising, noninferior alternative to facility-based cardiac rehabilitation (FBCR). The comparable cost of RCR in US populations has yet to be extensively studied. The purpose of this prospective, patient-selected study of traditional FBCR versus a third-party asynchronous RCR platform was to assess whether RCR can be administered at a comparable cost and clinical efficacy to FBCR. Adult insured patients were eligible for enrollment after an admission for a coronary heart disease event. Patients selected either FBCR or Movn RCR, a 12-week telehealth intervention using an app-based platform and internet-capable medical devices. Clinical demographics, intervention adherence, cost-effectiveness, and hospitalizations at 1-year after enrollment were assessed from the Highmark claims database after propensity matching between groups. A total of 260 patients were included and 171 of those eligible (65.8%) received at least 1 cardiac rehabilitation session and half of the patients chose Movn RCR. The propensity matching produced a sample of 41 matched pairs. Movn RCR led to a faster enrollment and higher completion rates (80% vs 50%). The total medical costs were similar between Movn RCR and FBCR, although tended toward cost savings with Movn RCR ($10,574/patient). The cost of cardiac rehabilitation was lower in those enrolled in Movn RCR ($1,377/patient, p = 0.002). The all-cause and cardiovascular-related hospitalizations or emergency department visits in the year after enrollment in both groups were similar. In conclusion, this pragmatic study of patients after a coronary heart disease event led to equivalent total medical costs and lower intervention costs for an asynchronous RCR platform than traditional FBCR while maintaining similar clinically important outcomes.

Preferences in the Willingness to Download an mHealth App: Discrete Choice Experimental Study in Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Despite the worldwide growth in mobile health (mHealth) tools and the possible benefits for both patients and health care providers, the adoption of mHealth is low, and only a limited number of studies have examined the intention to download mHealth apps. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated individuals' preferences in the adoption of a health app. METHODS: We conducted a discrete choice experimental study in 3 countries (Spain: n=800, Germany: n=800, and the Netherlands: n=416) with 4 different attributes and levels (ie, price: €1.99 vs €4.99 [a currency exchange rate of €1=US $1.09 is applicable] vs for free, data protection: data protection vs no information, recommendation: patients' association vs doctors, and manufacturer: medical association vs pharmaceutical company). Participants were randomly assigned. For the analyses, we used the conditional logistic model separately for each country. RESULTS: The results showed that price and data protection were considered important factors that significantly increased the probability to download an mHealth app. In general, the source of the recommendation and the manufacturer affected the probability to download the mHealth app less. However, in Germany and the Netherlands, we found that if the app was manufactured by a pharmaceutical company, the probability to download the mHealth app decreased. CONCLUSIONS: mHealth tools are highly promising to reduce health care costs and increase the effectiveness of traditional health interventions and therapies. Improving data protection, reducing costs, and creating sound business models are the major driving forces to increase the adoption of mHealth apps in the future. It is thereby essential to create trustworthy standards for mobile apps, whereby prices, legislation concerning data protection, and health professionals can have a leading role to inform the potential consumers.

Estimating the Health Care Expenditure to Manage and Care for Type 2 Diabetes in Nepal: A Patient Perspective.

Background. This study aimed to estimate the health care expenditure for managing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the community setting of Nepal. Methods. This is a baseline cross-sectional study of a heath behavior intervention that was conducted between September 2021 and February 2022 among patients with T2D (N = 481) in the Kavrepalanchok and Nuwakot districts of Nepal. Bottom-up and micro-costing approaches were used to estimate the health care costs and were stratified according to residential status and the presence of comorbid conditions. A generalized linear model with a log-link and gamma distribution was applied for modeling the continuous right-skewed costs, and 95% confidence intervals were obtained from 10,000 bootstrapping resampling techniques. Results. Over 6 months the mean health care resource cost to manage T2D was US $22.87 per patient: 61% included the direct medical cost (US $14.01), 15% included the direct nonmedical cost (US $3.43), and 24% was associated with productivity losses (US $5.44). The mean health care resource cost per patient living in an urban community (US $24.65) was about US $4.95 higher than patients living in the rural community (US $19.69). The health care costs per patient with comorbid conditions was US $22.93 and was US $22.81 for those without comorbidities. Patients living in rural areas had 16% lower health care expenses compared with their urban counterparts. Conclusion. T2D imposes a substantial financial burden on both the health care system and individuals. There is a need to establish high-value care treatment strategies for the management of T2D to reduce the high health care expenses. Highlights: More than 60% of health care expenses comprise the direct medical cost, 15% direct nonmedical cost, and 24% patient productivity losses. The costs of diagnosis, hospitalization, and recommended foods were the main drivers of health care costs for managing type 2 diabetes.Health care expenses among patients living in urban communities and patients with comorbid conditions was higher compared with those in rural communities and those with without comorbidities.The results of this study are expected to help integrate diabetes care within the existing primary health care systems, thereby reducing health care expenses and improving the quality of diabetes care in Nepal.

Costo-efectividad de la calidad del control prenatal con respecto al bajo peso al nacer en el Cauca / Antenatal control quality cost-effectiveness regarding low birth weight in Cauca

Antecedentes: El departamento del Cauca en Colombia es multiétnico, multicultural y biodiverso, también con grandes diferencias en bajo peso al nacer (BPN), mortalidad perinatal y mortalidad neonatal tardía entre municipios. Objetivo: Determinar la relación de costo-efectividad del control prenatal (CPN) cuando ha tenido buena calidad frente al que ha tenido calidad deficiente con respecto al BPN en el departamento del Cauca entre 2018 y 2020. Método: Evaluación económica con diseño epidemiológico de una cohorte histórica desde la perspectiva de la institución pagadora. Se calculó la razón incremental de costo-efectividad (RICE), análisis de sensibilidad e impacto presupuestal. Resultados: La incidencia de BPN fue del 8,3% (348/4182). La calidad deficiente en el CPN incrementó el riesgo de BPN (OR: 3,38; IC95%: 1,05-8,2) y la buena calidad tuvo una mejor relación de costo-efectividad (RICE: USD 2727,75), con posición dominante frente a la calidad deficiente (6,14 veces el PIB per cápita de ahorro) y con un impacto presupuestal de USD 2.904.392. Conclusiones: La buena calidad del CPN en el departamento del Cauca durante 2018-2020 fue costo-efectiva y dominante por ser de menor costo y mayor efectividad.

Background: The department of Cauca in Colombia is multiethnic, multicultural, and biodiverse, also with large differences in low birth weight (LBW), perinatal mortality, and late neonatal mortality among municipalities. Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness relationship of antenatal care (ANC) when it has had good quality compared to that which has had poor quality with respect to low birth weight in the department of Cauca between 2018 and 2019. Method: Economic evaluation with epidemiological cohort design historical from the perspective of the payer institution. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (RICE), sensitivity analysis, and budgetary impact were calculated. Results: The incidence of LBW was 8.3% (348/4182). Poor quality in ANC increased the risk of LBW (OR: 3.38; CI95%: 1.05-8.2), good quality had a better cost-effectiveness ratio (RICE: USD 2727.75), with dominant position against poor quality (6.14 times the GDP/capita savings) with a budgetary impact of USD 2,904,392. Conclusions: The good quality of the ANC in the department of Cauca during 2018-2020 was cost-effective and dominant because it is lower cost and more effective.

Cardiovascular Hospitalizations and Resource Use Following Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

Background Over the next few years, atrial fibrillation (AF)-related morbidity and costs will increase significantly. Thus, it is prudent to examine the impact of AF treatment on health care resource use. This study examined the impact of AF ablation on hospitalization, length of stay, and resource use for patients undergoing AF ablation in a multihospital system. Methods and Results In an observational analysis, outcomes of total, cardiovascular, and AF hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and length of stay were compared for 3417 patients between 12 months before and 24 months following AF ablation. Use of electrical cardioversions and antiarrhythmic use were also compared 1 year before to 2 years after AF ablation. There were fewer total (0.7±1.3 versus 0.3±0.7; P<0.001), cardiovascular (0.7±1.2 versus 0.2±0.6; P<0.001), and AF (0.6±1.1 versus 0.1±0.3; P<0.001) hospitalizations and emergency department visits (0.8±2.1 versus 0.4±0.9; P<0.001) per patient-year for the 2 years following AF ablation compared with 1 year before. Average length of stay per patient-year (1.4±7.9 versus 3.6±5.3 days; P<0.0001), the percentage of patients on antiarrhythmic therapy (21.2% versus 58.5%; P<0.0001), and those undergoing electrical cardioversions (16.1% versus 28.1%; P<0.0001) were lower 2 years following AF ablation versus 1 year before. Conclusions We noted a decrease in total, cardiovascular, and AF hospitalizations and health care resource use during the 2-year period after index AF ablation, compared with the 1 year before. AF ablation may portend a decline in patient morbidity and health care costs.

The clinical utility of routine postoperative hemoglobin and creatinine after reconstructive surgery for apical pelvic organ prolapse.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Postoperative laboratory tests are routinely ordered after apical prolapse repair on asymptomatic patients. We hypothesize that routine serum hemoglobin (Hb) and creatinine (Cr) have limited clinical utility in the postoperative period in asymptomatic patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent surgical repair of apical prolapse between 2017 and 2019 at our institution. Subjects were divided into two groups postoperatively: symptomatic and asymptomatic anemia. Symptomatic patients were defined as having one or more of the following: blood pressure (BP) <90/60, heart rate (HR) >100, urine output <30 cc/h, subjective dizziness, flank pain, or abdominal pain. The primary aim was to evaluate the utility of postoperative serum Hb and Cr in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney tests analyzed categorical and continuous data respectively. A total of 325 patients were included. RESULTS: Patients with symptomatic anemia had a larger decrease in Hb on postoperative day 1 (POD1) with a mean decrease of -18.11% (± 6.64) compared with asymptomatic patients, who had a mean difference of -15.49% (± 5.63; p < 0.001). The total cost of tests evaluating Hb was US$61,745. Patients with symptomatic acute kidney injury had an increase in Cr on POD1 compared with asymptomatic patients, with a mean increase of 0.23% (± 16.06) and -3.07% (± 13.10) respectively (p < 0.05). The total cost of tests including Cr was US$131,812. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that routine postoperative Hb and Cr testing for apical prolapse should be reserved for symptomatic patients as it has minimal clinical value in asymptomatic patients and contributes to increased overall health care cost.

Preliminary Analysis of an Advanced Health Care Practitioner-Led Home-Visit Primary Care Program for High-Risk Patients Reduced Health Care Costs and Utilization.

Background: MemorialCare Medical Group (MCMG) designed and implemented an advanced health care practitioner (AHP)-led home-visit primary care program to address the needs of a frail older adult population, who struggled with arriving for in-office care. We sought to perform a preliminary analysis to determine the program's efficacy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients enrolled in the program through tabulation of total costs of care, inpatient visits (IPVs), emergency department visits (EDVs), and 30-day readmissions (30DRs) 1-year pre-enrollment and postenrollment. Results: For the prior year and postyear windows, per-member per-month total cost of care decreased 21.4% ($5,883.44-$4,622.31), reflecting a gross savings of $2,693,480.32. Mean IPVs (2.42-1.56), EDVs (1.53-0.93), and 30DRs (0.27-0.13) were reduced. Conclusions: Initial analysis of an AHP-led in-home primary care program for frail seniors shows promise for improved outcomes with a clear decrease in the total cost of care.

Economic burden of acute myeloid leukemia on patients in a resource-limited tertiary hospital in the Philippines

ABSTRACT Introduction: The remission induction treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has remained unchanged in the resource-limited setting in the Philippines. AML treatment consists of induction chemotherapy followed by high dose consolidation chemotherapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In the Philippines, the Filipino household bears the burden of health care cost of hospitalization expenditure. Insights into the treatment costs becomes an essential requirement as these guides the allocation of resources to scheme health programs. Method: This study involved a retrospective cohort analysis of AML patients who underwent treatment for AML. Review of the statements of account per admission per patient during treatment for remission induction, consolidation, relapsed and refractory disease and best supportive care from 2017 to 2019. Of the 251 eligible patients, 190 patients were included. Result: The mean healthcare expenditure for remission induction chemotherapy (Phase 1) was US $2, 504.78 (Php 125,239.29). While 3 to 4 cycles of consolidation chemotherapy cost an average of US $3,222.72 (Php 162,103.20). For patients who had relapsed and refractory disease, an additional mean cost of US $3,163.32 (Php 159,115.28) and US $2, 914.72 (Php 146,610.55) were incurred, respectively. The average cost of palliative care was US $1,687.00 (Php 84,856.59). Conclusion: The cost of chemotherapy and other therapeutics bear most of the weight of the direct healthcare cost. The cost of AML treatment represents a significant economic burden for patients and the institution. The cost increases as patients proceed through subsequent lines of treatment for induction failure. Existing subsidy for health insurance benefits could still be improved for appropriate source allocation of resources.

Mortality, Outcomes, Costs, and Use of Medicines Following a First Heart Failure Hospitalization: EVOLUTION HF.

BACKGROUND: There are few contemporary data on outcomes, costs, and treatment following a hospitalization for heart failure (hHF) in epidemiologically representative cohorts. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to describe rehospitalizations, hospitalization costs, use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) (renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, sacubitril/valsartan, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors), and mortality after hHF. METHODS: EVOLUTION HF (Utilization of Dapagliflozin and Other Guideline Directed Medical Therapies in Heart Failure Patients: A Multinational Observational Study Based on Secondary Data) is an observational, longitudinal cohort study using data from electronic health records or claims data sources in Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Adults with a first hHF discharge between 2018 and 2022 were included. The 1-year event rates per 100 patient-years (ERs) for death and rehospitalizations (with a primary diagnosis of heart failure (HF), chronic kidney disease [CKD], myocardial infarction, stroke, or peripheral artery disease) were calculated. Hospital health care costs were cumulatively summarized. Cumulative GDMT use was assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimates. RESULTS: Of 263,525 patients, 28% died within the first year post-hHF (ER: 28.4 [95% CI: 27.0-29.9]). Rehospitalizations were mainly driven by HF (ER: 13.6 [95% CI: 9.8-17.4]) and CKD (ER: 4.5 [95% CI: 3.6-5.3]), whereas the ERs for myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral artery disease were lower. Health care costs were predominantly driven by HF and CKD. Between 2020 and 2022, use of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, sacubitril/valsartan, beta-blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists changed little, whereas uptake of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors increased 2- to 7-fold. CONCLUSIONS: Incident post-hHF rehospitalization risks and costs were high, and GDMT use changed little in the year following discharge, highlighting the need to consider earlier and greater implementation of GDMT to manage risks and reduce costs.

Predictors of Out-of-Pocket Expenditure on Health Incurred by Elderly Persons Residing in a Rural Area of Faridabad District.

BACKGROUND: A significant portion of India's 1.2 billion population consists of elderly individuals, accounting for approximately 8.6%, who incur substantial out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare expenses. Any policy for the elderly should encompass financial protection from illness-related expenditures. However, the lack of comprehensive information on OOP expenditure and its determinants precludes such action. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 400 elderly persons residing in the rural town of Ballabgarh. The participants were randomly selected using the health demographic surveillance system. We utilized questionnaires and tools to assess the costs associated with outpatient and inpatient services in the previous year, as well as gather information on socio-demographics (individual characteristics), morbidity (motivation for seeking care), and social engagement (health-seeking). RESULTS: A total of 396 elderly persons participated, with a mean (SD) age of 69.4 (6.7), and 59.4% females. Nearly 96% and 50% of the elderly availed of outpatient and inpatient services, respectively, in the preceding year. The mean (IQR) annual OOP expenditure, as per the consumer price index 2021, was INR 12,543 (IQR, INR 8,288-16,787), with a median of INR 2,860 (IQR, INR 1,458-7,233), explained significantly by sex, morbidity status, social engagement, and mental health. CONCLUSION: In low-middle-income countries like India, policymakers may consider pre-payment mechanisms like health insurance for the elderly, using such prediction scores.