Health Services Utilization and Payments in Patients with Cancer Pain: A Comparison of Intrathecal Drug Delivery versus Conventional Medical Management (S762)

Abstract

1.Increase awareness of intrathecal drug delivery for the management of cancer pain.2.Communicate the potential economic impact of intrathecal drug delivery as compared to conventional medical management in patients with cancer pain. The financial costs of cancer care are a burden to people diagnosed with cancer, their families, and society as a whole. In the era of health reform, there is increased scrutiny by payers to demonstrate the most clinically effective and cost-effective ways in which to treat patients. A comparison of health services utilization and payments in a population of patients receiving either intrathecal drug delivery (IDD) or conventional medical management (CMM) for the management of cancer pain. In this retrospective claims data analysis, patients were propensity score-matched 1:1 based on characteristics including, but not limited to, age, gender, cancer type, comorbid conditions, and health care utilization and payments during a six-month baseline period. From a sample of 142 IDD patients and 3,188 CMM patients that met all inclusion/exclusion criteria, 73 matched pairs were obtained. In the first 12 months, IDD patients had fewer inpatient hospitalizations, with length of stay shortened by four days, a lower average number of home health visits, and lower inpatient and home health costs compared to CMM patients. Despite the high initial cost of IDD, this analysis suggests patients with IDD incur lower inpatient hospital and home health utilization and payments over the first year post-implant.