All-cause Medical Costs Research Articles

Complications, Costs, and Health Care Resource Use with Tissue Biopsy Followed by Liquid Biopsy Versus Tissue Re-biopsy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Nonsmall-cell Lung Cancer.

We compared complications, costs, and health care resource utilization (HCRU) of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic nonsmall-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) who had a tissue biopsy followed by either liquid biopsy (TFLB) (identified with a novel algorithm) or tissue re-biopsy (TRB). This claims-based retrospective analysis included commercial and Medicare Advantage members in the Optum Research Database with mNSCLC (January 2017 to June 2021) and ≥2 tissue biopsy claims (7 to 90d apart) (TRB) or ≥1 tissue and ≥1 liquid biopsy claim within 90 days (TFLB). Patients in the TFLB group were matched 1:1 to patients in the TRB group using propensity score matching. Surgical biopsy-related complications and complication-related and all-cause medical costs and HCRU during the 6-month follow-up were compared. Both groups had 235 patients post-match. During the follow-up, the surgical biopsy-related complication rate was lower in the TFLB group than the TRB group (65.1% [153/235] vs. 84.7% [199/235], P<0.001). Mean complication-related medical costs were significantly lower with TFLB ($8494 vs. $19,741, P<0.001) during the follow-up; mean (SD) duration of complication-related inpatient stays was significantly lower with TFLB (3.5 [7.0] vs. 6.6 [13.3]d, P=0.002). Mean all-cause medical costs were not significantly different between the groups; the TFLB group had fewer all-cause inpatient stays, inpatient days, and outpatient visits. Multiple tissue biopsy procedures may be associated with significantly higher biopsy complication rates, higher complication-related medical costs, and longer complication-related inpatient stays than TFLB. All-cause medical costs were similar between groups.

Evaluating estimated health care resource utilization and costs in patients with myelofibrosis based on transfusion status and anemia severity: A retrospective analysis of the Medicare Fee-For-Service claims data.

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a rare but aggressive myeloproliferative neoplasm that commonly affects older patients, with a mean age of onset of older than 60 years. At least a third of patients with primary MF are anemic at diagnosis, and nearly all patients become anemic over time; approximately half require red blood cell transfusions within a year of diagnosis. Anemia and transfusion dependence are leading negative prognostic factors for overall survival and are associated with diminished quality of life and increased health care-related economic burden in patients with MF. To describe baseline characteristics, health care resource utilization (HCRU), and costs as a function of transfusion status and anemia severity in patients diagnosed with MF among the US Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) population. This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with MF appearing in the 100% Medicare FFS database enrolled between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2020. Patients were segmented into hemoglobin level cohorts (no, mild, moderate, and severe anemia) and transfusion status cohorts (transfusion independent [TI], transfusion requiring [TR], or transfusion dependent [TD]). Across cohorts, demographics and disease characteristics were assessed at baseline; per patient per month all-cause HCRU and medical and pharmacy costs were reported during follow-up. All results were summarized descriptively. The transfusion status cohort (N = 1,749) included TI (n = 980), TR (n = 559), and TD (n = 210) patients; the anemia severity cohort (N = 365) included patients with no (n = 100), mild (n = 128), moderate (n = 99), and severe (n = 38) anemia. On average, TR and TD patients or those with moderate or severe anemia had numerically higher Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index scores than those who were TI or had mild or no anemia. TR and TD cohorts reported numerically greater all-cause outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department utilization vs the TI cohort. All-cause costs were numerically higher in the TD and TR cohorts vs the TI cohort ($14,655 and $14,249 vs $8,191). Incremental increases in HCRU and costs were also observed with increasing anemia severity. All-cause medical and pharmacy costs for no, mild, moderate, and severe anemia cohorts were $4,689, $7,268, $10,439, and $13,590, respectively. This retrospective analysis of the US Medicare FFS database descriptively evaluated patients by transfusion status and anemia severity and showed that costs and HCRU were numerically lower for patients with transfusion independence compared with those with transfusion dependence. Similar trends were seen when comparing patients based on anemia status, with numerically lower HCRU and cost observed with decreasing anemia severity.

The Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Asthma Control in California: A Microsimulation Approach.

Wildfire smoke exposure leads to poorer health among those with pre-existing conditions such as asthma. Particulate matter in wildfire smoke can worsen asthma control, cause acute exacerbations, and increase health resource utilization (HRU) and costs. Research to date has been retrospective with few opportunities to project changes in underlying asthma control and HRU given exposure to wildfire smoke. Using a microsimulation of 5,000 Californians with asthma, we calculated changes in asthma control distribution, risk of exacerbation, and HRU and cost outcomes in the 16weeks during and after a wildfire. The model was calibrated against empirical values on asthma control distribution and increased HRU after exposure to wildfire smoke. Without smoke exposure, 48% of the cohort exhibited complete or well control of asthma, and 8% required acute healthcare per cycle. Following two consecutive weeks of wildfire smoke, complete or well control of asthma fell to 27%, with an additional 4% HRU. This corresponds to total additional $601,250 in all-cause medical costs and eight fewer quality-adjusted life years over 16weeks of model time. Our model found increased asthma health and cost burden due to wildfire smoke that were aligned with empirical evidence from a historic wildfire event. This study establishes a framework for a more nuanced understanding of asthma impacts from wildfire smoke that can help inform the development of public health policies to mitigate harm and promote resilience among asthma patients in the face of climate change.

Evaluating the burden of illness of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis in a large managed care population: The ETHEREAL Study.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH; formerly nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) is the inflammatory form of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (formerly nonalcoholic fatty liver disease). MASH is a progressive disease associated with increased risk for many hepatic and extra-hepatic complications such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, the requirement for liver transplantation, and cardiovascular (CV)-related and kidney-related complications. It is important to understand the clinical and economic burden of MASH. To assess and compare the clinical and economic burdens of MASH in adults with the non-MASH population in a real-world setting. This observational, retrospective study used the Healthcare Integrated Research Database (HIRD), which contains health care claims data for commercially insured and Medicare Advantage health plan members across the United States. All-cause, CV-related, and liver-related medical costs and health care resource utilization were evaluated in patients with at least 2 diagnoses of MASH during the patient identification period (October 1, 2016, to April 30, 2022) and compared with a non-MASH cohort 1:1 matched on age, Quan Charlson Comorbidity Index, region of residence, and health plan type and length of enrollment. Generalized linear regression with negative binomial and γ distribution models were used to compare health care resource utilization and medical costs, respectively, while controlling for confounders. Covariate-adjusted all-cause, CV-related, and liver-related hospitalization rate ratios and medical cost ratios were assessed and compared for the MASH and matched non-MASH cohorts. A total of 18,549 patients with MASH were compared with 18,549 matched patients in the non-MASH cohort. After adjusting for covariates, MASH was associated with significantly higher rates of hospitalization and higher medical costs compared with the non-MASH cohort. When compared with the non-MASH cohort, patients with MASH had 1.22 (95% CI = 1.15-1.30; P < 0.0001) times higher rates of all-cause hospitalization, 1.13 (95% CI = 1.03-1.24; P = 0.008) times higher rates of CV-related hospitalization, and 7.22 (95% CI = 4.91-10.61; P < 0.0001) times higher rates of liver-related hospitalization. Similarly, all-cause medical costs were 1.26 (95% CI = 1.22-1.30; P < 0.0001) times higher, CV-related medical costs were 1.66 (95% CI = 1.59-1.73; P < 0.0001) times higher, and liver-related medical costs were 7.79 (95% CI = 7.42-8.17; P < 0.0001) times higher among patients with MASH. Compared with those of the non-MASH cohort with similar age, Quan Charlson Comorbidity Index, health plan, region of residence, and duration of enrollment, patients with MASH had significantly higher all-cause, CV-related, and liver-related hospitalizations and medical costs.

Long-Term Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs among Patients with Myasthenia Gravis: A Swedish Nationwide Population-Based Study

Introduction: Healthcare costs and societal impact of myasthenia gravis (MG), a potentially life-threatening rare, chronic neuromuscular disease, are sparsely studied. We assessed healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs among patients with newly diagnosed (ND) and preexisting (PE) MG in Sweden. Methods: This observational, retrospective cohort study used data from four linkable Swedish nationwide population-based registries. Adult MG patients receiving pharmacological treatment for MG and having ≥24-month follow-up during the period January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2017, were included. Results: A total of 1,275 patients were included in the analysis, of which 554 patients were categorized into the ND MG group and 721 into the PE MG group. Mean (±SD) age was 61.3 (±17.4) years, and 52.3% were female. In the first year post-diagnosis, ND patients had significantly higher utilization of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (96.0% vs. 83.9%), corticosteroids (59.6% vs. 45.8%), thymectomy (12.1% vs. 0.7%), and plasma exchange (3.8% vs. 0.6%); had higher all-cause (70.9% vs. 35.8%) and MG-related (62.5% vs. 18.4%) hospitalization rates with 11 more hospitalization days (all p < 0.01) and an increased risk of hospitalization (odds ratio [95% CI] = 4.4 [3.43, 5.64]) than PE MG. In year 1 post-diagnosis, ND MG patients incurred EUR 7,302 (p < 0.01) higher total all-cause costs than PE MG, of which 84% were estimated to be MG-related and the majority (86%) were related to inpatient care. These results remained significant also after controlling for baseline demographics and comorbidities (p < 0.01). In year 2 post-diagnosis, the all-cause medical costs decreased by ∼55% for ND MG from year 1 and were comparable with PE MG. Conclusion: In this population-based study, MG patients required significantly more healthcare resources in year 1 post-diagnosis than PE MG primarily due to more pharmacological treatments, thymectomies, and associated hospitalizations. These findings highlight the need to better understand potential factors including disease characteristics associated with increased health resource use and costs and need for more efficacious treatments early in the disease course.

Reduction in all-cause medical and caregiving costs through innovative health awareness projects in a rural area in Japan: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundThis study evaluates cost reduction in participants of a health awareness program (the Center of Healthy Aging Program, CHAP) in a Japanese rural area, characterized by an annual check-up and personalized interview on health issues and related risks immediately after the check-up.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study using medical and caregiving costs and Japan-specific health check-up results in Hirosaki residents stored by the local government, which were individually-based linked to the CHAP information collected by Hirosaki University. This is the first study that used anonymized data with individually-based linkages to both a research institute and a local government in Japan under a strict limitation regarding linking to third-party data. We included residents who had been continuously enrolled for > 6 months as of 1 July 2015. We compared 5-year all-cause costs between three groups (with CHAP, with Japan-specific health check-up, and no check-up) using a multivariate negative binomial regression model considering risk factors including lifestyle habits and an inverse probability weight to adjust for baseline characteristics: age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, baseline care level, and risk score of coronary heart diseases.ResultsA total of 384, 9805, and 32,630 residents aged 40–74 years were included for the CHAP, Japan-specific health check-up, and no check-up groups, respectively. The Japan-specific health check-up group showed older and higher Charlson comorbidity index than the others. After inverse probability weight adjusting, the amount of all-cause medical costs was significantly lower only in the CHAP group. Faster walking speed and exercise habits were independently associated with lower all-cause medical and caregiving costs.ConclusionsWe demonstrated a 5-year all-cause cost reduction in residents who participated in the CHAP and also suggested the effect of exercise habits in Hirosaki, which indicated the significance of individually-based data linkages to external third-party data for all local governments to improve the health condition of residents.

An Economic Evaluation of the Relationship Between Glycemic Control and Total Healthcare Costs for Adults with Type2 Diabetes: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Glycemic control is associated with better outcomes among individuals with type2 diabetes (T2D). This research examines total US all-cause medical costs for adults with T2D with recommended glycemic control (HbA1c < 7%) compared to poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 7%). The study used administrative claims data linked to HbA1c laboratory test results from January1, 2015 through June30, 2021 to identify adults with T2D with a recorded HbA1c test. Patients with recommended glycemic control at index date were propensity score matched to patients with poor glycemic control. General linear models and two-part models were used to compare all-cause outpatient, drug, acute care and total costs for 1year post index date. The study included 59,830 propensity-matched individuals. Results indicate that recommended glycemic control, compared to poor glycemic control, was associated with statistically significantly lower all-cause acute care ($23,868 ± $21,776 vs. $24,352 ± $22,223), drug ($10,277 ± $14,671 vs. $10,540 ± $14,928), and total medical costs ($41,381 ± $42,757 vs. $42,054 ± $43,422) but significantly higher outpatient costs ($7290 ± $12,028 vs. $7026 ± $11,587) (all p < 0.0001). Sensitivity analyses examined results based upon alternative HbA1c thresholds of ≤ 6.5% and < 8%. Results were generally robust to alternative HbA1c thresholds, with higher HbA1c thresholds associated with higher all-cause total costs as well as increased savings for having HbA1c below threshold. Glycemic control was associated with significantly lower all-cause total, drug, and acute care medical costs. Given the high prevalence of T2D in the USA, our results suggest potential economic benefits associated with glycemic control for healthcare providers.

Once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists vs dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors: cardiovascular effects in people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease

BackgroundGlucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), which have proven cardiovascular benefits, are recommended in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, there is limited real-world evidence comparing the effects of once-weekly (OW) GLP-1 RAs and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is). This observational cohort study (1/1/2017–9/30/2021) used data from the Optum Clinformatics® Data Mart to compare time to incident clinical cardiovascular outcomes, health care resource utilization (HCRU), and medical costs in new adult users of OW GLP-1 RAs and DPP-4is with T2D and ASCVD.MethodsTime to occurrence of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), or their composite and ASCVD-related and all-cause HCRU and medical costs were investigated. Baseline characteristics were balanced using inverse probability of treatment weighting. Survival analyses were conducted to compare risks during exposure.ResultsOW GLP-1 RA users (weighted N = 25,287) had 26%, 22%, and 24% lower risk of ischemic stroke, MI, and their composite, respectively, compared with DPP-4i users (weighted N = 39,684; all P < 0.01). Compared with DPP-4i users, OW GLP-1 RA users had 25% and 26% lower ASCVD-related and all-cause hospitalization costs, 19% and 23% lower ASCVD-related and all-cause medical costs, 23% and 27% fewer ASCVD-related and all-cause hospitalizations, 13% and 8% fewer ASCVD-related and all-cause outpatient visits, and 8% fewer all-cause ER visits (all P < 0.01).ConclusionsIn adults with T2D and ASCVD, OW GLP-1 RAs are associated with reduced stroke and MI risks and ASCVD-related and all-cause HCRU and costs vs DPP-4is.

SAT233 Clinical And Economic Burden Of Postsurgical Chronic Hypoparathyroidism: A US Medicare Retrospective Analysis

Abstract Disclosure: W. Noori: Employee; Self; Ascendis Pharma, Inc. S. Inguva: Employee; Self; OPEN Health. Other; Self; Research Funding (institution): Ascendis. C.T. Sibley: Employee; Self; Ascendis Pharma, Inc. V. Chirikov: Employee; Self; OPEN Health. Stock Owner; Self; OPEN Health. Other; Self; Research Funding (institution): Ascendis. A.R. Smith: Employee; Self; Ascendis Pharma, Inc. Background: Hypoparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disease characterized by insufficient parathyroid hormone (PTH) production and is associated with substantial burden of illness. Individuals with hypoparathyroidism often report physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms indicating impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Objective: To describe demographics, clinical characteristics, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), and costs among individuals with postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism compared to individuals without hypoparathyroidism in Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS). Methods: Adults with newly diagnosed postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism were identified from the Medicare 100% Limited Data Set between July 1, 2017, to March 31, 2020. All had a confirmed diagnosis within 6-12 months after index diagnosis. Individuals were required to be continuously enrolled for ≥6 months pre- and ≥12 months post-index for baseline and follow-up assessments. Those with a prior hypoparathyroidism diagnosis in the baseline period were excluded. A random sample of enrollees without hypoparathyroidism was synthetically assigned an index date of diagnosis to ensure similar baseline and follow-up periods as individuals with postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism. Baseline demographics and comorbidities were compared descriptively. All-cause HCRU and costs during baseline and follow-up were evaluated. All costs were inflated to 2021 US dollars. Results: Individuals with postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism (N=1,166) were older than those without hypoparathyroidism (N=11,258) (median age of 69 vs 64 years) and more were female (76% vs 57%); they also had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores at baseline (3.24 vs 0.73) and a higher prevalence of moderate or severe renal disease (28.8% vs 5.6%), nephrolithiasis (8.3% vs 1.0%), urinary tract infections (9.9% vs 2.2%), hospitalizations for infections (11.9% vs 2.5%), congestive heart failure (13.1% vs 3.0%), among others. Over a median follow-up of 30 months, mean [SD] all-cause medical costs per patient per year (PPPY) were significantly higher among individuals with postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism ($199,297 [$443,294] vs $61,897 [$210,825]). This difference was largely attributable to higher all-cause medical utilization among individuals with postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism (22.0 vs 11.6 inpatient days PPPY; 15.3 vs 5.8 outpatient visits PPPY). Individuals with postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism also had higher mortality compared to those without hypoparathyroidism (HR=2.75 (95% CI: 2.15-3.51). Conclusions: The clinical and economic burden of individuals with postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism in Medicare FFS is substantial, highlighting the need for innovative treatment options to replace the missing PTH hormone. Presentation: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Glycemic and Economic Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Type2 Diabetes Initiating Dulaglutide Versus Basal Insulin in a Real-World Setting in the United States: The DISPEL-Advance Study.

Treatments like glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists carry low hypoglycemia risk and are recommended for elderly patients with type2 diabetes (T2D), while some routine treatments, like insulin, increase hypoglycemia risk. The DISPEL-Advance (Dulaglutide vs Basal InSulin in Injection Naïve Patients with Type2 Diabetes: Effectiveness in ReaL World) study compared glycemic outcomes, healthcare resource utilization, and costs in elderly patients with T2D who initiated treatment with dulaglutide versus those initiating treatment with basal insulin. This observational, retrospective cohort study used data from the Optum Research Database. Medicare Advantage patients (≥ 65years) with T2D were assigned to dulaglutide or basal insulin cohorts based on pharmacy claims and propensity score matched on demographic and baseline characteristics. Change in HbA1c, 12-months follow-up HbA1c, and follow-up all-cause and diabetes-related healthcare resource utilization and costs were compared. Propensity score matching yielded well-balanced cohorts with 1891 patients each (mean age: dulaglutide, 72.09years; basal insulin, 72.56years). The dulaglutide cohort had significantly greater mean HbA1c reduction from baseline to follow-up than basal insulin cohort (- 0.95% vs - 0.69%; p < 0.001). The dulaglutide cohort had significantly lower mean all-cause and diabetes-related medical costs (all-cause: $8306 vs $12,176; diabetes-related: $4681 vs $7582 respectively; p < 0.001) and lower mean all-cause total costs ($18,646 vs $20,972, respectively; p = 0.007) than basal insulin cohort. The dulaglutide cohort had significantly lower all-cause and diabetes-related total costs per 1% change in HbA1c than basal insulin cohort (all-cause: $19,729 vs $30,334; diabetes-related: $12,842 vs $17,288, respectively; p < 0.001). Elderly patients with T2D initiating dulaglutide had greater HbA1c reduction, lower mean all-cause medical and total costs, lower diabetes-related medical costs, and lower total all-cause and diabetes-related costs per 1% change in HbA1c than patients initiating basal insulin. Future studies assessing medications that do not increase hypoglycemia risk could help inform therapeutic strategies in elderly patients.

Medical Costs in Patients with Hyperkalemia on Long-Term Sodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate Therapy: The RECOGNIZE II Study.

Hyperkalemia, defined as abnormally high serum potassium levels of ≥5.1 mmol/L, is associated with increased medical costs. This real-world study evaluated the impact of long-term sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) therapy on medical costs in patients with hyperkalemia. This retrospective, comparative study used claims data from IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus. Patients aged ≥18 years with hyperkalemia who had outpatient SZC fills (>3-month supply over 6 months) between July 2019 and December 2021 and continuous insurance coverage 6 months before and 6 months after the first SZC fill were included. These patients (SZC cohort) were 1:1 exact- and propensity score-matched on baseline variables with patients with hyperkalemia who did not receive SZC (non-SZC cohort). The primary endpoint was hyperkalemia-related medical costs to payers over 6 months. Each cohort included 661 matched patients. Mean per-patient hyperkalemia-related medical costs were reduced by 49.5% ($3728.47) for the SZC versus non-SZC cohort ($3798.04 vs $7526.51; P<0.001), whereas mean all-cause medical costs were reduced by 21.0% ($5492.20; $20,722.23 vs $26,214.43; P<0.01). A 39.8% ($3621.03) increase in all-cause pharmacy costs ($12,727.20 vs $9106.17; P<0.01) was offset by the medical cost savings. This study demonstrated that long-term (>3 months) outpatient treatment with SZC was associated with medical cost savings compared with no SZC therapy.

Impact of Sodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate Plus Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitor Therapy on Short-Term Medical Costs in Hyperkalemia: OPTIMIZEII Real-World Study.

Patients receiving cardiorenal-protective renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASis) are at increased risk of developing hyperkalemia, which is associated with increased medical costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of adding sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) therapy on 3-month medical costs in patients who experienced hyperkalemia while receiving RAASi therapy. The retrospective OPTIMIZEII study used medical and pharmacy claims data from IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus. Patients aged ≥ 18years who received SZC (≥ 60day supply over 3months' follow-up) and continued RAASi between July 2019 and December 2021 (Continue RAASi + SZC cohort) were 1:1 exact and propensity score matched with patients who discontinued RAASi after hyperkalemia diagnosis and did not receive SZC (Discontinue RAASi + no SZC cohort). The primary outcome was hyperkalemia-related medical costs to payers over 3months; all-cause medical and pharmacy costs were also analyzed. In the Continue RAASi + SZC (n = 467) versus Discontinue RAASi + no SZC (n = 467) cohort, there were significant reductions in mean per-patient hyperkalemia-related medical costs (reduction of $2216.07; p = 0.01) and all-cause medical costs (reduction of $6102.43; p < 0.001); mean hyperkalemia-related inpatient medical costs and all-cause inpatient and emergency department medical costs were significantly reduced. The reduction in all-cause medical cost in the Continue RAASi + SZC cohort offset an increase in the mean per-patient all-cause pharmacy cost (increase of $3117.71; p < 0.001). RAASi therapy has well-established cardiorenal benefits. In OPTIMIZEII, management of RAASi-induced hyperkalemia with SZC was associated with lower hyperkalemia-related and all-cause medical costs than RAASi discontinuation without SZC, demonstrating medical cost savings with maintaining RAASi therapy with SZC.

Short-term costs in patients with chronic kidney disease treated with dapagliflozin: a retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT Objectives This real-world study evaluated the impact of dapagliflozin on short-term medical costs in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods This retrospective, observational cohort study used medical and pharmacy claims data from IQVIA PharMetrics Plus. Patients aged ≥18 years with a filled dapagliflozin prescription after stage 3 CKD diagnosis between September 2020 and December 2021 were 1:1 propensity score matched with patients with stage 3 CKD who did not receive dapagliflozin. The primary endpoint was cardiorenal medical costs to payers over 6 months; all-cause medical and pharmacy costs were also analyzed. Within the overall population, there was a new-user subgroup of patients with no sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 use during baseline. Results The new-user subgroup included 503 matched patients per cohort. Mean per-patient cardiorenal medical costs were reduced by 49.0% in the dapagliflozin versus non-dapagliflozin cohort ($3172.15 vs $6219.50; P < 0.001). Mean all-cause medical costs were reduced ($8043.58 vs $12,194.87; P < 0.001) and mean all-cause pharmacy costs were increased ($9056.98 vs $7453.23; P = 0.22). Results were similar for the overall population. Conclusion This study showed dapagliflozin was associated with reduced cardiorenal medical costs over 6 months compared with no dapagliflozin treatment in patients with stage 3 CKD, demonstrating real-world medical cost savings.

Survival and Economic Impact of Rapid Prostate-Specific Antigen Doubling Time in Patients With Nonmetastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

In patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC), prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) is associated with risk of metastasis and survival. This study evaluated the association of PSADT with clinical and economic outcomes in a real-world setting among patients with nmCRPC not receiving novel hormonal therapy (NHT), using 2-month PSADT thresholds. We retrospectively identified Veterans Health Administration patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer and ≥2 PSA increases after medical/surgical castration (2012-2016). The third measurement was the index (CRPC) date. Patients with ≥3 postindex PSA measurements, including index, were followed until death or ≥12 months until disenrollment, study end, or death, and grouped into 2-month cohorts based on postindex PSADT. Cox regression models assessed association between PSADT, time to metastasis, and death. Healthcare resource utilization and costs were evaluated. Among 2800 evaluable patients, median follow-up was 30 months and median PSADT was 17 months. Relative to the reference cohort (PSADT >12 months), all cohorts had significantly higher metastasis risk. PSADT ≤10-month cohorts had significantly greater mortality risk than the reference; hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) ranged from 12.3 (9.2, 16.4) in the PSADT ≤2-month cohort to 1.3 (0.9, 2.0) in the >10 to ≤12-month cohort. Total costs were significantly higher for cohorts up to and including the PSADT >8 to ≤10-month cohort, than for the reference cohort. Mean per patient per month all-cause medical plus pharmacy costs were $6623, $4768, and $4049 in the PSADT ≤2-month, >2 to ≤4-month cohort, and >4 to ≤6-month cohorts, respectively, versus $1911 in the PSADT >12-month cohort (P <0.05). Most patients with nmCRPC have PSADT >12 months and a long natural history. For those with shorter PSADT, the risk of metastasis, death, and costs increased. These data can help select patients for NHT and conversely those who can safely delay NHT for nmCRPC.

Effects of chiropractic use on medical healthcare utilization and costs in adults with back pain in Ontario, Canada from 2003 to 2018: a population-based cohort study

BackgroundAdults with back pain commonly consult chiropractors, but the impact of chiropractic use on medical utilization and costs within the Canadian health system is unclear. We assessed the association between chiropractic utilization and subsequent medical healthcare utilization and costs in a population-based cohort of Ontario adults with back pain.MethodsWe conducted a population-based cohort study that included Ontario adult respondents of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) with back pain from 2003 to 2010 (n = 29,475), followed up to 2018. The CCHS data were individually-linked to individual-level health administrative data up to 2018. Chiropractic utilization was self-reported consultation with a chiropractor in the past 12 months. We propensity score-matched adults with and without chiropractic utilization, accounting for confounders. We evaluated back pain-specific and all-cause medical utilization and costs at 1- and 5-year follow-up using negative binomial and linear (log-transformed) regression, respectively. We assessed whether sex and prior specialist consultation in the past 12 months were effect modifiers of the association.ResultsThere were 6972 matched pairs of CCHS respondents with and without chiropractic utilization. Women with chiropractic utilization had 0.8 times lower rate of cause-specific medical visits at follow-up than those without chiropractic utilization (RR5years = 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-1.00); this association was not found in men (RR5years = 0.96, 95% CI 0.73–1.24). There were no associations between chiropractic utilization and all-cause physician visits, all-cause emergency department visits, all-cause hospitalizations, or costs. Effect modification of the association between chiropractic utilization and cause-specific utilization by prior specialist consultation was found at 1-year but not 5-year follow-up; cause-specific utilization at 1 year was lower in adults without prior specialist consultation only (RR1year = 0.74, 95% CI 0.57–0.97).ConclusionsAmong adults with back pain, chiropractic use is associated with lower rates of back pain-specific utilization in women but not men over a 5-year follow-up period. Findings have implications for guiding allied healthcare delivery in the Ontario health system.

1001-P: Adherence and Persistence to Basal Insulin Therapy Is Associated with Decreased Health Care Utilization in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Objectives: Lack of adherence and persistence to prescribed therapy impact achievement of glycemic goals. This study aimed to assess the association between adherence and persistence to basal insulin therapy with healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: This was an observational, retrospective cohort study of commercially insured US patients using IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus claims data. We identified adults with T2D initiating basal insulin therapy between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018. Adherence/non-adherence and persistence/non-persistence were assessed per established definitions. Demographic and clinical characteristics were assessed over the one-year baseline period (prior to initiation). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to adjust for confounding by adherence and persistence status. Post-IPTW, all-cause medical HCRU and costs in the one-year follow-up period were compared across cohorts. Results: The final sample consisted of 64,953 patients: 42% and 58% met criteria for adherence and non-adherence, respectively; 57% and 43% met criteria for persistence and non-persistence, respectively. The proportion of patients with ≥1 hospitalization was lower for the adherence and persistence cohorts compared to their reference groups (adherence: 12.2% vs. 13.8%; persistence: 12.5% vs. 14.2%, both P&amp;lt;0.0001); for these patients, mean hospitalization days were lower among adherence and persistence cohorts (adherence: 10.1 vs. 13.2; persistence: 10.4 vs. 13.8, both P&amp;lt;0.0001). Total mean medical costs were also lower (adherence: $16,118 vs. $17,991; persistence: $16,459 vs. $18,399, both P&amp;lt;0.0001), driven by lower acute care costs (adherence: $6,210 vs. $7,775; persistence: $6,385 vs. $8,171, both P&amp;lt;0.0001). Conclusions: In this study, adherence and persistence to basal insulin therapy was associated with lower HCRU and costs, particularly for acute care. Disclosure N.F.Nielsen: Employee; Novo Nordisk A/S, Coloplast A/S. V.R.Aroda: Consultant; Applied Therapeutics Inc., Fractyl Health, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, Other Relationship; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Research Support; Applied Therapeutics Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Fractyl Health, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Sanofi. K.K.Mangla: Employee; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk A/S. V.Divino: Employee; IQVIA Inc. T.Namvar: None. J.R.Rajpura: Employee; Novo Nordisk.

Healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs among adult patients with lung cancer with broad panel genomic testing and clinically relevant or non-clinically relevant genomic variants.

e18889 Background: Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. An estimated 236,740 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in 2022. Use of genomic testing to drive treatment decisions can lead to improvements in patient survival. However, the HCRU and costs of genomic testing are just being understood and little is known about the impact of the clinical relevance of those genomic findings. Methods: This retrospective analysis utilized administrative claims and enrollment information with linked genomic sequencing results from Optum’s de-identified Market Clarity Data and Clinicogenomics Database. Adult lung cancer patients newly diagnosed between 01 January 2016 – 30 June 2021 with evidence of treatment and genomic sequencing results post diagnosis were eligible for the study. Patients were required to have at least 6 months of continuous enrollment prior to and after their diagnosis date, unless death occurred, and were followed until death, disenrollment, or study end. Cohorts were created based on presence of clinically relevant variants with an FDA-approved treatment for lung cancer. Unadjusted all-cause HCRU and costs during follow-up were reported as per-patient per-month (PPPM). Results: This study identified 2,190 patients, of which 999 (45.6%) had clinically relevant variants. Age, insurance type, and geographic region did not appear to differ substantially between groups, though those with clinically relevant variants were more likely to be female (57.4% vs. 46.0%). During follow-up, the average number of PPPM ambulatory visits was similar between groups (5.89 vs. 5.58, p = 0.08), but the average number of emergency room visits (0.29 vs. 0.23, p &lt; 0.01) and inpatient stays (0.12 vs. 0.11, p = 0.03) were higher among those with clinically relevant variants. Additionally, those with clinically relevant variants had higher average PPPM all-cause medical costs ($20,948 vs. $19,097; p = 0.02) and pharmacy costs ($3,073 vs. $2,083, p = 0.02). Conclusions: Average PPPM emergency room visits, inpatient stays, medical costs and pharmacy costs were higher among lung cancer patients with clinically relevant variants compared to those with non-clinically relevant variants. Future research should evaluate HCRU and costs attributable to targeted therapy. [Table: see text]

Early vs late filling of new heart failure prescription and its association with avoidable hospital admissions.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with heart failure (HF) are at increased risk for hospitalization and readmission after discharge. The impact of timing to new prescription filling on avoidable HF hospitalization is understudied in HF management. The Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality identifies HF-related inpatient admissions as potentially avoidable if they could be managed successfully in outpatient settings. OBJECTIVE: To compare avoidable HF hospitalization rate and all-cause and HF-related costs in patients who were early fillers (≤30 days) vs late fillers (>30 days) of newly prescribed HF medications following an HF-related inpatient stay or emergency department visit. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used the Humana Research Database to identify patients with at least 1 claim for a new HF medication from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. Eligible patients were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan for at least 12 months pre-index and 6-months post-index (ie, first new HF prescription). Individuals who were early (n = 794) vs late fillers (n = 397) were propensity-score matched in a 2:1 ratio to balance baseline characteristics. A logistic regression model was fitted to compare avoidable HF hospitalization in those who were late fillers vs early fillers. Mean cost differences were compared using paired t-test. Outcomes were measured 6-months post-index. RESULTS: Late fillers had greater odds of experiencing an avoidable HF hospitalization compared with early fillers (odds ratio = 1.65; P = 0.001). Late filling was associated with a 49.5% increase in average all-cause medical costs (P < 0.0001), a 13.6% decrease in average all-cause pharmacy costs (P = 0.0929), and a 39.4% increase in average all-cause total costs (P < 0.0001). HF-related costs showed similar trends. CONCLUSION: Compared with patients who filled their prescription within 30 days of discharge following an HF admission, those who delayed the filling of a new HF prescription experienced increased likelihood of an avoidable readmission, and late filling was associated with increased 6-month total and medical costs. DISCLOSURES: Humana Healthcare Research, Inc., funded the research and article development. No external funds were used in the creation of this work. All authors are/were employees of Humana Inc. and/or Humana Healthcare Research, Inc., at the time of the work.

Effect of Provider Specialty on Medical Resource Utilization and Costs in Chronic Spinal-Pain Management

BACKGROUND: Poorly managed chronic spinal pain encumbers medical resources and drives healthcare costs, suggesting a target for improvement. OBJECTIVES: To determine how specialist-care pathways influence healthcare costs in the first year after a referral for chronic spine pain. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of administrative claims from a large commercial health insurance provider, analyzing a 6-month baseline, a variable “pre-referral period,” and a one-year period of specialist care. SETTING: US patients covered by private commercial insurers. METHODS: Adult patients diagnosed with chronic, spine-related pain between July 2016 and February 2018 and under the active care of a specialist were eligible. Patients with neurological deficits or cancer-related pain were excluded. Patients were categorized based on sequence-dependent exposure to a pain specialist, a surgeon, or both specialties. Key measures were pain-related and all-cause medical resource use and costs and opioid prescription fills. RESULTS: Of 306,080 eligible patients (mean age 61.6; 61.5% women), 13% saw a pain specialist, 71% a surgeon, 7% a pain specialist then a surgeon, and 9% a surgeon then a pain specialist. Referral to a pain specialist alone was associated with lower resource use and per-patient adjusted cost savings of $3,311 (pain-related) and $6,447 (all-cause) compared to patients referred to a surgeon alone. The pain specialist pathway was associated with increased indicators of prescription opioid use. LIMITATIONS: Cohort design constraints temper the results’ generalizability, given the need to simultaneously examine specialty pathway and medical resource incurred over the same time period. CONCLUSIONS: We observed meaningful savings in cost and resource use when chronic spine-pain patients were managed by pain specialists. Pain-management referrals should be an element of a thoughtfully designed care pathway. KEY WORDS: Chronic spinal pain, pain management, care pathway, spine surgery

A systematic review of real-world healthcare resource use and costs of Clostridioides difficile infections.

To conduct a systematic review of published real-world evidence describing the cost and healthcare resource use for Clostridiodes difficile infection (CDI) in the United States. A systematic literature review was conducted searching for terms for CDI and healthcare costs. Titles of articles and abstracts were reviewed to identify those that met study criteria. Studies were evaluated to examine overall design and comparison groups in terms of healthcare resource use and cost for CDI. In total, 28 articles met the inclusion criteria. Moreover, 20 studies evaluated primary CDI or did not specify, and 8 studies1-8 evaluated both primary CDI and recurrent (rCDI). Data from Medicare were used in 6 studies. Nearly all studies used a comparison group, either controls without CDI (N = 20) or comparison between primary CDI and rCDI (N = 7). Two studies examined costs of rCDI by the number of recurrences. Overall, the burden of CDI is significant, with higher aggregate costs for patients with rCDI. Compared with non-CDI controls, hospital length of stay increased in patients with both primary and rCDI compared to patients without CDI. Patients with primary CDI cost healthcare systems $24,000 more than patients without CDI. Additionally, 2 studies that evaluated the impact of recurrence among those patients with an index case of CDI demonstrated significantly higher direct all-cause medical costs among those with rCDI compared to those without. CDI, and particularly rCDI, is a costly condition with hospitalizations being the main cost driver.