Ulcerative Colitis: Annual costs of care and resource utilization in patients >, =65 years of age from a payer perspective

Abstract

To assess the annual costs of care and resource utilization for patients ≥65 years with ulcerative colitis (UC) from a medical claims database. A retrospective analysis, using the PharMetrics database, of patients ≥65 years of age with a diagnosis of UC (ICD-9 code 556.x) from January 1, 2000 through June 30,2005 was conducted. Patients had to be continuously enrolled for 6 months pre- and 12 months post-UC diagnosis, and have 2 distinct claims for UC. Mean per patient healthcare resource utilization and costs were calculated for patients in the year following their initial UC diagnosis. Outcomes are presented for UC patients by disease severity groups. Group 1 required hospitalization for UC; Group 2 required chronic aggressive pharmacotherapy (i.e. corticosteroids or immnunosuppressants) for ≥4 months; and Group 3 consisted of all remaining patients. 650 patients were analyzed. Average age of patients was 75 years and 58% were females. Mean annual total cost for all patients were $15,811. Group 1 patients incurred the highest mean cost ($30,394), while Groups 2 and 3 incurred $10,804 and $9,476, respectively. Inpatient hospitalization costs constituted the largest component ($7,926, 50%) of the mean annual total cost for all patients. The next highest cost components were outpatients ($1,941, 12%), prescription medications ($1,641, 10%), physician office visits ($1,052, 6.7%), and laboratory procedures ($357, 2.3%). Also, Group 1 had the highest resource utilization (Table 1). Healthcare costs and resource utilization Healthcare costs and resource utilization UC in patients≥65 years is associated with a high cost of care. Patients requiring hospitalization incurred the highest cost. New therapies that can reduce hospitalizations have the potential to decrease overall cost of care for patients with UC.