Abstract P443: Multiple Chronic Conditions in Older Adults: Implications for Clinical Trials & Guidelines in Hypertension

Abstract

Background: Multiple chronic conditions ([M]CCs), including hypertension (HTN) and clinical CVD, increase sharply with age and account for most U.S. healthcare costs. In 2001, the Institute of Medicine recommended integrated clinical guidelines for MCC. The dearth of integrated guidelines reflects limited inclusion of complex patients in clinical trials and continued focus on individual diseases. Methods: To explore implications of MCC for clinical trials and HTN guidelines in older adults, hierarchical clustering was used to segregate beneficiaries in one large Medicare Shared Savings Program into clusters with similar groups of MCC. Clusters were named for the most prevalent CC and described by number of CCs, prevalent HTN, CVD, behavioral health diagnoses and paid claims. Results: The 50,627 beneficiaries (mean 72 yrs) segregated into 12 clusters; 36,533 (72.2%) had HTN. A total of 33,262 beneficiaries (65.7%) segregated into 6 complex clusters (CHF, CKD, Diabetes, Cancer, COPD, Vascular) with a high prevalence of CVD; 27,324 (82.1%) had HTN. The CHF and CKD clusters had the highest mean number of CCs (9.8, 7.5, respectively), HTN prevalence (94.3%, 91.9%), and yearly costs ($37,700, $26,700/beneficiary). Diabetes, cancer, COPD and vascular disease clusters also had a large burden of CCs (5.9, 5.8, 5.1, 5.4) and HTN (88.3%, 73.6%, 70.7%, 83.9%) with annual healthcare costs from $19,500 (cancer) to $12,900 (COPD); more than 1/3 of patients in the CHF, CKD, diabetes and vascular clusters had a behavioral health diagnosis, most often depression. Of 17,365 (34.3%) beneficiaries in less complex clusters, 9,209 (54%) had HTN, 90+% were candidates for primary CVD prevention, less than 10% had behavioral health diagnoses, and costs were lower. Conclusions: HTN impacts ~82% of older adults with a higher burden of MCC, and ~75% (27,324/36,533) of Medicare beneficiaries with HTN have a large burden of MCCs. Behavioral health diagnosis, associated with adverse outcomes and costs, are common with MCCs. Clinical care, outcomes and costs for older adults with HTN and MCCs could improve with more representative inclusion in clinical trials and translation through integrated clinical guidelines developed by multi-specialty/disciplinary teams.