Higher Healthcare Resource Use Research Articles

Prevalence, incidence, mortality, and healthcare resource use for generalised pustular psoriasis, palmoplantar pustulosis, and plaque psoriasis in England: a population-based cohort study.

Generalised pustular psoriasis (GPP) and palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) are chronic, inflammatory skin conditions. Accumulating evidence shows that GPP and PPP have different characteristics compared with plaque psoriasis and are distinct clinical entities. To assess the epidemiology, comorbidities, mortality and healthcare use for patients with GPP and PPP compared with those with plaque psoriasis in England. A cohort study involving analyses of longitudinal electronic health record data in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum database and linked hospital and mortality data between 2008 and 2019. The primary study outcome was the incidence and prevalence rates for GPP, PPP and plaque psoriasis in England. Secondary outcomes included survival rates and healthcare resource use (HCRU) by disease type. We identified 373 patients with GPP, 1,828 with PPP and 224,223 with plaque psoriasis. The mean age was 55.9 years (standard deviation [SD]: 18.6) for patients with GPP, 51.5 years (SD: 16.4) for those with PPP, and 48.5 years (SD: 19.1) for those with plaque psoriasis; 62.5% and 65.9% of patients with GPP and PPP, respectively, were women, compared with 49.4% of those with plaque psoriasis. About half of the patients were overweight or obese at baseline (GPP, 48.6%; PPP, 56.0%; and plaque psoriasis, 45.9%). The incidence rates for GPP, PPP and plaque psoriasis were 0.25 (95% CI: 0.21-0.28), 2.01 (95% CI: 1.92-2.11) and 103.2 (95% CI: 102.5-103.9) per 100,000 person-years, respectively. From 2008 to 2019, the prevalence rates per 100,000 persons ranged from 1.61 to 3.0 for GPP, 1.1 to 18.7 for PPP and 1771.0 to 1903.8 for plaque psoriasis. Survival rates were lower for patients with GPP, particularly those who were over 55 years old and those with a history of ≥1 comorbidity in each cohort. HCRU was lower in the plaque psoriasis cohort and highest in the GPP cohort, particularly among those who had ≥1 GPP flare. Our results provide further evidence that GPP is a distinct disease with different epidemiology, lower survival and higher HCRU than plaque psoriasis in England.

Incidence, Healthcare Resource Use and Costs Associated With Incisional Hernia Repair.

Background: Incisional hernia (IH) is a common complication of abdominal surgery affecting between 12.8% and 30% of patients. In spite of this, rates of IH repair remain low, at around 5% in the literature. We aimed to assess the rate of IH repair in the UK across surgical specialties and the cost burden associated with IH repair. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of patients undergoing abdominal surgery in England between 2012 and 2022 using the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database. Index abdominal surgery was identified between March 2014 and March 2017. Diagnostic and surgical procedure codes were used to identify pre-operative risk factors, index surgeries, IH repair and healthcare contact. Healthcare resource use (HCRU) costs were derived for index surgery and all post-index, non-elective inpatient admissions and outpatient visits using Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) codes within HES. Results: Of 297,134 patients undergoing abdominal surgery, 5.1% (n = 15,138) subsequently underwent incisional hernia repair. By specialty, rates were higher in Colorectal (10.0%), followed by Hepatobiliary (8.2%), Transplant (6.8%), Urological (4.0%), Bariatric (3.5%), Vascular (3.2%) and Gynaecological (2.6%) surgery. Patients undergoing IH repair had more healthcare contacts, longer length of inpatient stays and more A+E visits vs. those with no IH repair post index surgery (83% ≥ 1 A+E visit vs. 69%), as well as higher rates of referral to mental health services (19.8% vs. 11.5%). IH repair was associated with an average HCRU cost of £23,148 compared to £12,321 in patients with no IH repair. Conclusion: Patients undergoing IH repair have a greater morbidity than those not undergoing repair, shown by higher HCRU and more healthcare contacts. Despite this, rates of surgery for IH are low, suggesting that most patients with hernias are not undergoing repair. Emphasis must be placed squarely on primary prevention, rather than cure.

P326 Impact of disease flares on resource use, health-related quality of life and productivity in untreated Crohn’s Disease patients in US: an analysis of national health and wellness survey data

Abstract Background Patients with Crohn’s Disease (CD) alternate periods of exacerbation, flares, and periods of remission. The periods of flares can be debilitating to patients causing significant discomfort impacting the patient’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite symptoms, many patients do not receive treatments for their condition thus our objective was to describe the burden related to healthcare resource utilization (HRU), HRQoL and work productivity among a real-world cohort of patients who are not receiving any prescribed medications for CD. Methods The 2019 National Health and Wellness US Survey (NHWS) data was analyzed. NHWS is a self-administered Institutional review board (IRB) approved, internet-based annual survey that assesses numerous health conditions, demographic characteristics, medical history, healthcare utilization, attitudes, and outcomes. Respondents currently not taking prescription treatment for CD were categorized by flare frequency as infrequent (0-2 flares/year), intermediate (3-6/year), and frequent (>1/month to <7/week). HRU included HCP visits, gastroenterologist visits, emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations. HRQoL was assessed using the 5-dimension EuroQoL questionnaire (EQ5D), and work activity impairment using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire. Results A total of 74,994 respondents participated in the survey, of whom 577 reported being diagnosed with CD and 231 (40.0%) of whom were not taking prescription treatment for CD. Fifty-six percent of the untreated sample reported having mild disease. Among the untreated patients, 37% reported infrequent, 21% intermediate and 42% frequent flares. The mean age of patients with frequent flares was lower than those with infrequent or intermediate flares (infrequent: 51 years; intermediate: 45 years; frequent: 41 years). The mean EQ5D summary score decreased as the frequency of flares increased (infrequent: 0.77, intermediate: 0.66 and frequent: 0.63). Patients with frequent flares had higher gastroenterologists, ER and hospitalization rates compared to patient with infrequent of intermediate flares (Table 1). Overall work impairment was reported by 40%, 52% and 63% of patients with infrequent, intermediate, and frequent flares respectively (Figure 1). Conclusion This real-world analysis shows up to two-thirds of untreated CD patients present intermediate or frequent flares. In addition, those with frequent flares experienced poorer HRQoL, lower work productivity, and had higher healthcare resource use. This study reveals a high level of disease burden in patients who are not receiving treatment, the majority of whom reported to have ‘mild’ disease.

Autologous Skin Cell Suspension for Full-Thickness Skin Defect Reconstruction: Current Evidence and Health Economic Expectations.

Despite differing etiologies, acute thermal burn injuries and full-thickness (FT) skin defects are associated with similar therapeutic challenges. When not amenable to primary or secondary closure, the conventional standard of care (SoC) treatment for these wound types is split-thickness skin grafting (STSG). This invasive procedure requires adequate availability of donor skin and is associated with donor site morbidity, high healthcare resource use (HCRU), and costs related to prolonged hospitalization. As such, treatment options that can facilitate effective healing and donor skin sparing have been highly anticipated. The RECELL® Autologous Cell Harvesting Device facilitates preparation of an autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) for the treatment of acute thermal burns and FT skin defects. In initial clinical trials, the approach showed superior donor skin-sparing benefits and comparable wound healing to SoC STSG among patients with acute thermal burn injuries. These findings led to approval of RECELL for this indication by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018. Subsequent clinical evaluation in non-thermal FT skin wounds showed that RECELL, when used in combination with widely meshed STSG, provides donor skin-sparing advantages and comparable healing outcomes compared with SoC STSG. As a result, the device received FDA approval in June of 2023 for treatment of FT skin defects caused by traumatic avulsion or surgical excision or resection. Given that health economic advantages have been demonstrated for RECELL ± STSG versus STSG alone when used for burn therapy, it is prudent to examine similarities in the burn and FT skin defect treatment pathways to forecast the potential health economic advantages for RECELL when used in FT skin defects. This article discusses the parallels between the two indications, the clinical outcomes reported for RECELL, and the HCRU and cost benefits that may be anticipated with use of the device for non-thermal FT skin defects.

Early-Stage Chronic Kidney Disease and Related Health Care Spending

The global burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is substantial and potentially leads to higher health care resource use. To examine the association between early-stage CKD and health care spending and its changes over time in the general population. Cohort study using nationwide health checkup and medical claims data in Japan. Participants included individuals aged 30 to 70 years with estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) of 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 or greater at the baseline screening in 2014. Data analyses were conducted from April 2021 to October 2023. The CKD stages at baseline, defined by the eGFR and proteinuria, were as follows: eGFR of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or greater without proteinuria, eGFR of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or greater with proteinuria, eGFR of 30 to 59 mL/min/1.73 m2 without proteinuria, and eGFR of 30 to 59 mL/min/1.73 m2 with proteinuria. The primary outcome was excess health care spending, defined as the absolute difference in health care spending according to the baseline CKD stages (reference group: eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 without proteinuria) in the baseline year (2014) and in the following 5 years (2015 to 2019). Of the 79 988 participants who underwent a health checkup (mean [SD] age, 47.0 [9.4] years; 22 027 [27.5%] female), 2899 (3.6%) had an eGFR of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or greater with proteinuria, 1116 (1.4%) had an eGFR of 30 to 59 mL/min/1.73 m2 without proteinuria, and 253 (0.3%) had an eGFR of 30 to 59 mL/min/1.73 m2 with proteinuria. At baseline, the presence of proteinuria and an eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 were associated with greater excess health care spending (adjusted difference, $178; 99% CI, $6-$350 for proteinuria; $608; 99% CI, $233-$983 for an eGFR of 30-59 mL/min/1.73 m2; and $1254; 99% CI, $134-$2373 for their combination). The study consistently found excess health care spending over the following 5 examined years. In this cohort study of nationwide health checkup and medical claims data in Japan, early-stage CKD was associated with excess health care spending over the 5 examined years, and the association was more pronounced with a more advanced disease stage.

A retrospective observational study on characteristics, treatment patterns, and healthcare resource use of patients with myasthenia gravis in England.

There are limited data on the real-world healthcare resource use (HCRU) and management costs of myasthenia gravis (MG) in England. This study aims to assess the burden of disease for patients with MG in England. A retrospective, observational cohort study of adult patients diagnosed with MG, using data from the Hospital Episode Statistics data warehouse. Patients with a first-ever recorded diagnosis of MG between 30 June 2015 and 30 June 2020 were followed up until 30 June 2021 or death, whichever occurred first. Post-diagnosis patient characteristics, treatment patterns, HCRU, and costs were described. Costs were evaluated using National Health Service reference costs. A total of 9087 patients with a median follow-up time of 2.9 years (range, 1.7-4.3 years) were included. The mean age at diagnosis was 66.5 years and 53% of the patients were male. A large proportion of patients (72.8%) were admitted as inpatients during follow-up with a mean number of 1.3 admissions. Patients hospitalized for MG-related complications spent a mean of 9.7 days per patient-year in the hospital. During follow-up, 599 (6.6% of the total cohort) and 163 (1.8%) patients had a record of rescue therapy with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasma exchange (PLEX), respectively. Rituximab was administered to 81 (0.9%) patients and 268 (2.9%) patients underwent thymectomy. In those patients receiving rescue therapy or rituximab, >10% received at least three cycles of the same treatment. The average annual cost of hospital admissions across all patients treated with IVIg, PLEX, and rituximab were £907,072, £689,979, and £146,726, respectively. A majority of MG patients required hospitalization or accident and emergency attendance, resulting in high HCRU and costs. A subset of patients required rescue therapy (including IVIg and PLEX), rituximab administration, ventilation, or thymectomy.

PP97 How Health Technology Agencies Estimate Target Population Size For Medical Devices: The Example Of Spinal Cord Stimulation

IntroductionSpinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective and safe option for patients with refractory neuropathic pain, with positive health technology assessment (HTA) recommendations across Western Europe, yet SCS uptake remains low. Estimating target patient populations within HTAs may impact upon medical device uptake, pricing and access. However, there is a dearth of information on how this is typically conducted. This study aimed to compare the approaches of Western Europe HTA agencies for estimating the target population for SCS.MethodsA survey was conducted among members of the Health Economics and Reimbursement function from Western Europe to collect country-specific information on how HTA agencies assess the target population of medical devices (MD). The estimations of the target population for SCS were extracted from HTA publications and compared.ResultsEight Health Economics and Reimbursement (HER) Analysts from France, Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), Belgium, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Norway completed the survey. HTA Agencies in France, UK and Belgium routinely ask for epidemiological data in the manufacturer submission, whereas in Germany, Sweden and Norway the request is dependent on the type of HTA submission. All HTA agencies, except NICE (UK), perform an independent estimation of the target population. HTA agencies in Germany and UK typically use epidemiological data from industry. In all countries, the estimation of the target population may indirectly impact the price of the MD, especially when budget impact analysis indicates a potential high use of healthcare resources. Only France, Belgium and UK have published HTA recommendations about SCS, however the estimated target population, nor the number of patients with refractory neuropathic pain, is not always included. Only the French and UK HTA agencies publish an approximation of the target population for SCS using the number of patients implanted every year.ConclusionsThis study showed there is a lack of harmonization between Western European HTA agencies’ guidelines on the inclusion and estimation of target patient populations. The new EU HTA Regulation should help to address this situation.

Effectiveness of transitional-care heart failure programmes in multimorbid patiens: a population-based study with longitudinal real-world data in 77,554 patients

Abstract Background High comorbidity burden has a negative impact in terms of outcomes and medical resource use despite access to integrated care in universal health-care systems in patients with heart failure (HF). Whether the breach in outcomes determined by comorbidity burden can be mitigated by intensive HF management in integrated care programs is not known. Purpose To analyse the effectiveness across morbidity groups on health outcomes of integrated care before and after a pragmatic implementation of an intensive transitional care nurse-based HF management program in a healthcare area of 209,255 inhabitants. Methods We included all individuals discharged alive in Catalonia with HF as the primary diagnosis between 2015 and 2019. Morbidity and clinical complexity were evaluated using the Adjusted Morbidity Group (GMA) index. The GMA is an instrument developed and validated in Catalonia for grouping morbidity that identifies populations with multimorbidity and higher use of healthcare resources and has been shown better discrimination power than Charlson’s Index. For this study we classified patients into 3 morbidity groups: low or intermediate risk GMA, high risk GMA and very high-risk GMA. To evaluate the efficacy of the programme according to GMA strata, we compared outcomes between HF patients of the implementation area and HF patients of the remaining healthcare areas of Catalonia stratified in morbidity groups according to levels of GMA and across implementation periods (years 2015-2016 (pre-implementation), 2017 (transition) and 2018-2019 (consolidation). Results We included 77,554 patients: 3,396 exposed to the implementation area and 74,158 exposed to the rest of healthcare areas. 13,981 had a low or intermediate risk GMA 32,138 high risk and 31,435 very high risk. During the period of the study, 55,886 patients (72.1%) experienced at least one major adverse event. As shown in Table 1, multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazards models stratified according to GMA groups showed that implementation of the program resulted in an improvement of all studied outcomes in the consolidation period compared to the pre-implementation period across all risk-group according to GMA. As shown in Figure 1, the implementation of the program resulted in a significant reduction of the risk adverse events compared to the rest of Catalonia during the consolidation period (left column) and this improvement was observed across all morbidity-group strata (Figure 1, central and right columns). Interestingly, the size effect of the improvement was particularly noticeable in patients in the high-risk and very high-risk group strata. Conclusions Transitional-care nurse-based HF programmes improve clinical outcomes in patients with HF and are effective regardless the comorbidity burden of patients. Individuals with a very high comorbidity index obtain even a greater reduction of readmissions when exposed to those programs than less comorbid patients.

Migraine treatment and healthcare resource utilization in Alberta, Canada.

Migraine poses a significant burden worldwide; however, there is limited evidence as to the burden in Canada. This study examined the treatment patterns, healthcare resource use (HRU), and costs among newly diagnosed or recurrent patients with migraine in Alberta, Canada, from the time of diagnosis or recurrence. This retrospective observational study utilized administrative health data from Alberta, Canada. Patients were included in the Total Migraine Cohort if they had: (1) ≥1 International Classification of Diseases diagnostic code for migraine; or (2) ≥1 prescription dispense(s) for triptans from April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2018, with no previous diagnosis or dispensation code from April 1, 2010, to April 1, 2012. The mean age of the cohort (n = 199,931) was 40.0 years and 72.3% were women. The most common comorbidity was depression (19.7%). In each medication class examined, less than one-third of the cohort was prescribed triptans and fewer than one-fifth was prescribed a preventive. Among patients with ≥1 dispense, the mean rate of opioid prescriptions was 4.61 per patient-year, compared to 2.28 triptan prescriptions per patient-year. Migraine-related HRU accounted for 3%-10% of all use. Comorbidities and high all-cause HRU were observed among newly diagnosed or recurrent patients with migraine. There is an underutilization of acute and preventive medications in the management of migraine. The high rate of opioid use reinforces the suboptimal management of migraine in Alberta. Migraine management may improve by educating healthcare professionals to optimize treatment strategies.

Real-world treatment patterns and economic burden of post-cataract macular edema

BackgroundPost-cataract macular edema (PCME) is a condition that can occur in patients following cataract surgery without risk factors and complications. Although 80% of patients experience spontaneous resolution after 3 to 12 months, in persistent cases, it can lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated. There are currently no standardized treatment guidelines for PCME, and there have been limited studies showing the impact of PCME on annual Medicare spending and ophthalmology-related outpatient visits per case compared to those without the complication. This study aims to evaluate real-world treatment patterns and the economic burden of patients with PCME.MethodsThis retrospective claims analysis identified patients from the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases. Patients with (n = 2430) and without (n = 7290) PCME 1 year post cataract surgery were propensity score matched 1:3 based on age, geographic region, diabetes presence, cataract surgery type, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Treatment pattern analysis for each PCME patient summarized the distribution of medications across lines of therapy. Economic burden analysis compared the mean number and costs of eye-related outpatient visits, optical coherence tomography imaging scans, and ophthalmic medications between the 2 groups using linear regression models.ResultsTreatment pattern analysis found 27 different treatment combinations across 6 treatment lines. The most common first-line treatments were topical steroid drops (372 [30%]), topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug drops (321 [27%]), and intraocular or periocular injectable steroids (189 [15%]). Compared to match controls, PCME patients averaged 6 additional eye-related outpatient office visits (95% CI: 5.7–6.2) resulting in an additional $3,897 (95% CI: $3,475 - $4,319) in total costs. Patients filled 3 more ophthalmology-related outpatient prescription medications (95% CI: 2.8–3.2), adding $371 in total cost (95% CI: $332 – $410).ConclusionsPCME treatment patterns showed wide clinical variability in treatments and time, specifically regarding injectable treatments and combination therapy. Additionally, significantly higher healthcare resource use and economic burden were found for both patients and payers when comparing PCME patients to non-PMCE controls. These results highlight the need for treatment standardization and demonstrate that interventions targeted at preventing PCME may be valuable.

Healthcare Resource Use and Costs Associated with Organ Damage in Newly Diagnosed Adults with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the UK.

This analysis compared healthcare resource use (HCRU) and costs associated with incident organ damage in a cohort of adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Incident SLE cases were identified (Clinical Practice Research Datalink [CPRD] and Hospital Episode Statistics-linked healthcare databases; January1, 2005-June30, 2019). Annual incidence of 13 organ damage domains was calculated from SLE diagnosis through follow-up. Annualized HCRU and costs were compared between organ damage and non-organ damage patient groups using generalized estimating equations. A total of 936 patients met the inclusion criteria for SLE. Mean age was 48.0 (standard deviation [SD] 15.7) years and 88% were female. Over a median follow-up period of 4.3 (interquartile range [IQR] 1.9-7.0) years, 59% (315/533) had evidence of post-SLE diagnosis incident organ damage (≥ 1 type), which was greatest for musculoskeletal (146/819 [18%]), cardiovascular (149/842 [18%]), and skin (148/856 [17%]) domains. Patients with organ damage had greater resource use for all organ systems, excluding gonadal, versus those without it. Overall, mean (SD) annualized all-cause HCRU was greater in patients with organ damage versus those without it (inpatient, 1.0 versus 0.2; outpatient, 7.3 versus 3.5; accident and emergency, 0.5 versus 0.2days; primary care contacts, 28.7 versus 16.5; prescription medications, 62.3 versus 22.9). Adjusted mean annualized all-cause costs were significantly greater in both post- and pre-organ damage index periods for patients with organ damage versus those without it (all P < 0.05, excluding gonadal). Overall organ damage was associated with significantly increased adjusted mean annualized per-patient cost (£4442 greater [P < 0.0001]) ranging between £2709 and £7150 greater depending on the organ damage type. Organ damage was associated with higher HCRU and healthcare costs, before and after SLE diagnosis. More effective SLE management may slow disease progression, prevent organ damage onset, improve clinical outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.

Health economic impact of moderate-to-severe chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis in England: a retrospective analysis of linked primary and secondary care data

ObjectiveDespite the prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) in England, few studies have examined the health economic impact of chronic pain associated with OA. The aim of this study was to compare...

P69 Baseline characteristics of patients with physician-diagnosed hidradenitis suppurativa: results from a retrospective observational study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database

Abstract Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a difficult-to-treat, painful, chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by nodules, abscesses and skin tunnels. Delay in diagnosis increases disease severity and overall disease burden. In England, HS is associated with a high healthcare resource use, with an estimated prevalence of 1.2% in the general UK population (Ingram JR, Jenkins-Jones S, Knipe DW et al. Population-based Clinical Practice Research Datalink study using algorithm modelling to identify the true burden of hidradenitis suppurativa. Br J Dermatol 2018; 178:917–24). Improved understanding of HS patient profiles in England will help optimize patient care and treatment outcomes. This study aimed to characterize the patient profiles, journey, treatment pathways and treatment outcomes of patients with HS in England using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database. Here, we present the baseline characteristics of patients with HS from this database. Overall, 39 860 patients with physician-diagnosed HS were identified from 1 January 2009 to 31 March 2021. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 34.49 (13.07) years, and the majority were female (73.8%). Twenty-seven per cent of patients were White, 7.5% were Asian, 5.0% were Black and 27.9% were of mixed race, while 2.1% were from other races and the race was unknown for 30.7%. Overall, 44.6% were current smokers and 12.7% were ex-smokers. Depression (31.7%), anxiety (21.5%) and acne (20.6%) were the most commonly reported comorbidities related to HS. Chronic pulmonary disease was reported in 26.2% of patients; this may, in part, be attributed to relatively high rates of smoking in the HS population. The most frequently prescribed medications prior to HS diagnosis were pain medication, especially ‘non-opioid’ analgesics (21.8%) and opioids (19.8%); oral antibiotics, particularly tetracyclines (15.7%); combined contraceptive pills (7.2%) and metformin (4.8%). Only a few patients (&amp;lt; 0.05%) received a biologic prior to their HS diagnosis for other chronic inflammatory conditions. The various comorbidities, including psychiatric, metabolic, cardiovascular, gynaecological and pulmonary and associated treatments, observed in this real-world study in England suggest that optimal management should involve a multidisciplinary approach to improve outcomes in patients with HS.

0553 Prevalence of Insomnia and Anxiety in a National Sample of Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Depression

Abstract Introduction Insomnia and anxiety are highly comorbid both with depression and with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This retrospective study sought to characterize patients with these conditions among a national sample of individuals with depression and comorbid OSA. Methods A national sample of administrative claims data of OSA patients was used for this analysis. Included patients either had two healthcare encounters or one hospitalization with a depression ICD-10 diagnosis code the year prior to OSA diagnosis and before initiation on positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy for treatment of OSA. Anxiety, insomnia, and other comorbidities were identified by the presence of at least one ICD-10 code associated with healthcare encounters in the year prior to starting PAP therapy. Age, sex, and insurance coverage were characterized at the time of the first OSA diagnostic sleep test. Healthcare resource utilization was assessed for the year prior to starting PAP therapy. Results 36,668 patients with depression and comorbid OSA were included. 56% had comorbid anxiety, 28% had comorbid insomnia, and 35% had neither anxiety nor insomnia. Compared to those without anxiety or insomnia, patients with anxiety or insomnia were more commonly female (64% vs 57%) and had a higher prevalence of asthma (25% vs 20%), psychotic (14% vs 7%) and other mood disorders (24% vs. 14%), fibromyalgia (11% vs 7%) and GERD (43% vs 33%). Relative to individuals with insomnia or anxiety, patients without insomnia or anxiety experienced fewer ER visits, all-cause hospitalizations, depression-related hospitalizations, specialist visits, and self-harm events in the year prior to PAP initiation. Relative to patients with comorbid insomnia, those with comorbid anxiety demonstrated slightly higher healthcare resource use in the year prior to PAP initiation. Conclusion Anxiety and insomnia are prevalent comorbidities in patients with depression and obstructive sleep apnea, with more than half of patients suffering comorbid anxiety and a quarter of patients having comorbid insomnia. Future research should examine comprehensive patient care strategies that can be used in patients with comorbid anxiety or insomnia to encourage healthy sleep behaviors and successful acclimation to OSA treatment. Support (if any) ResMed

Hypothyroidism and Somatization: Results from E-Mode Patient Self-Assessment of Thyroid Therapy, a Cross-Sectional, International Online Patient Survey.

Background: Between 10% and 15% of hypothyroid patients experience persistent symptoms despite achieving biochemical euthyroidism. Unexplained persistent symptoms can be a sign of somatization. This is associated with distress and high health care resource use and can be classified as somatic symptom disorder (SSD). Prevalence rates for SSD differ depending on classification criteria and how they are ascertained, varying between 4% and 25%. As this has not been studied in hypothyroid patients before, the aim of this study was to document somatization in people with hypothyroidism and to explore associations with other patient characteristics and outcomes. Methods: Online, multinational cross-sectional survey of individuals with self-reported, treated hypothyroidism, which included the validated Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) for assessment of somatization. Chi-squared tests with the Bonferroni correction were used to explore outcomes for respondents with a PHQ-15 score ≥10 (probable somatic symptom disorder [pSSD]) versus a PHQ-15 score <10 (absence of SSD). Results: A total of 3915 responses were received, 3516 of which contained the valid PHQ-15 data (89.8%). The median score was 11.3 (range 0-30 [confidence interval 10.9-11.3]). The prevalence of pSSD was 58.6%. Associations were found between pSSD and young age (p < 0.001), women (p < 0.001), not working (p < 0.001), having below average household income (p < 0.001), being treated with levothyroxine (LT4) (rather than combination of LT4 and L-triiodothyronine [LT3], LT3 alone, or desiccated thyroid extract) (p < 0.001), expression of the view that the thyroid medication taken did not control the symptoms of hypothyroidism well (p < 0.001), and with number of comorbidities (p < 0.001). pSSD was associated with respondent attribution of most PHQ-15 symptoms to the hypothyroidism or its treatment (p < 0.001), dissatisfaction with care and treatment of hypothyroidism (p < 0.001), a negative impact of hypothyroidism on daily living (p < 0.001), and with anxiety and low mood/depression (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of pSSD among people with hypothyroidism and associations between pSSD and negative patient outcomes, including a tendency to attribute persistent symptoms to hypothyroidism or its treatment. SSD may be an important determinant of dissatisfaction with treatment and care among some hypothyroid patients.

Use and Effectiveness of Digital Adherence Tools

Adherence to (or compliance with) a medication schedule refers to the extent to which individuals take drugs as advised by their medical professionals. Many medical practitioners prefer the term "adherence" over "compliance," as the latter suggests that the patient is merely following orders from their doctor passively and that the treatment regimen is not founded on a therapeutic alliance or partnership between the patient and the provider. Particularly for chronic illnesses, maintaining commitment to a therapy regimen is challenging, which frequently hinders patients from reaping the full advantages of therapies. Negative health effects include treatment failure, more frequent hospital admissions, drug resistance in some circumstances (for example, in HIV or antibiotic regimens), and higher use of healthcare resources as a result of poor adherence. Effective chronic disease self-management and successful health outcomes depend on medication adherence. HIV patients, asthmatic patients, and hypertensive patients can enhance their adherence with the use of DATs. Further analysis of both short- and long-term effectiveness if the costs of these systems will be covered by better results, fewer ER visits, and fewer inpatient stays.

Healthcare resource use in myasthenia gravis: a US health claims analysis.

There are limited data on the impact of myasthenia gravis (MG) on real-world healthcare resource use (HCRU) and patient burden in the United States. This study aims to assess HCRU in patients with MG using data from a US health claims database. A retrospective, database study of adult patients newly diagnosed with MG, using the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare supplemental health insurance claims database. Patients with ⩾2 MG International Classification of Disease diagnosis codes ⩾3 months apart were followed from the date of their first MG diagnosis record or start of treatment. HCRU and use of immunoglobulins and plasma exchange during follow-up was assessed, as well as comorbidities, hospitalizations, emergency room (ER) visits, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and specialist visits per year after diagnosis, and compared with age- and sex-matched non-MG controls. During 2010-2019, 7194 patients were followed for up to 10 years (median = 2.3 years). During follow-up, patients with MG were 2.6-fold more likely than controls to be hospitalized, and 4.5-fold more likely to be admitted to an ICU. Risk and numbers of ER admission, hospitalization, and ICU visits were the highest in the 12 months post-diagnosis of MG and were consistently higher than controls during follow-up. MG was the main cause for most hospitalizations. Patients with MG have higher HCRU, compared with the age- and sex-matched non-MG controls. The early years after MG diagnosis are a period of particularly high healthcare burden, with many patients requiring hospitalization and ICU care to manage serious exacerbations.

Prompt initiation of triple therapy following hospitalization for a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation in the United States: An analysis of the PRIMUS study.

BACKGROUND: Severe exacerbations requiring hospitalization contribute a substantial portion of the morbidity and costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Triple therapy (inhaled corticosteroid + long-acting β-agonist + long-acting muscarinic antagonist) is a recommended option for patients who experience recurrent COPD exacerbations or persistent symptoms. Few real-world studies have specifically examined the effect of prompt initiation of triple therapy, specifically among patients hospitalized for a COPD exacerbation. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether prompt initiation of triple therapy following a severe COPD exacerbation was associated with lower risk of subsequent exacerbations and lower health care use and costs and the effects of each 30-day delay of initiation. METHODS: Adults aged 40 years or older with COPD were identified in the Merative MarketScan Databases between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019, and were required to meet the following criteria: open or closed triple therapy (date of first closed prescription or last component of open=index treatment date), more than 1 inpatient admission with a primary COPD diagnosis (ie, severe exacerbation) in the prior 12 months (index exacerbation), 12 months of continuous enrollment before (baseline) and after (follow-up) index exacerbation, and absence of select respiratory diseases and cancer. Patients were stratified based on timing of open or closed triple therapy after the index exacerbation: prompt (≤30 days), delayed (31-180 days), or very delayed (181-365 days). Multivariable regression controlled for baseline characteristics (age, sex, insurance type, index year, comorbidities, prior treatment, and prior exacerbations) and estimated the odds of subsequent exacerbations, change in the number of exacerbations, and change in health care costs during 12-month follow-up associated with each 30-day delay of triple therapy initiation. RESULTS: A total of 6,772 patients met inclusion criteria (2,968 [43.8%] prompt, 1,998 [29.5%] delayed, and 1,806 [26.7%] very delayed). The adjusted odds of any exacerbation and a severe exacerbation during 12-month follow-up increased by 13% (odds ratio [95% CI]: 1.13 [1.11-1.15]) and 10% (1.10 [1.08-1.12]), respectively, for each 30-day delay in triple therapy initiation, and the mean number of exacerbations increased by 5.4% (95% CI = 4.7%-6.1%). There was a 3.0% increase (95% CI = 2.2%-3.8%) in mean all-cause costs and a 3.7% increase (95% CI = 2.9%-4.6%) in total COPD-related costs for each 30-day delay of triple therapy initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Longer delays in triple therapy initiation after a COPD hospitalization result in greater risk of subsequent exacerbations and higher health care resource use and costs. Adequate post-discharge follow-up care and earlier consideration of triple therapy may improve clinical and economic outcomes among patients with COPD. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by AstraZeneca. Dr Evans is employed by Merative, formerly IBM Watson Health, and Mr Tkacz was employed by IBM Watson Health at the time of this study; Merative/IBM Watson Health received funding from AstraZeneca to conduct this study. Mr Pollack, Dr Staresinic, Dr Feigler, and Dr Patel are employed by AstraZeneca. Dr Touchette, Dr Portillo, and Dr Strange are paid consultants to AstraZeneca. Dr Strange also participates in research grants paid to the Medical University of South Carolina by AstraZeneca, CSA Medical, and Nuvaira, and is a consultant to GlaxoSmithKline, Morair, and PulManage regarding COPD.

Treatment patterns, healthcare resource use, and costs associated with uncomplicated urinary tract infection among female patients in the United States.

We evaluated associations between antibiotic prescription and healthcare resource use and costs (Part A), and between antibiotic switching and healthcare resource use, costs, and uncomplicated urinary tract infection recurrence (Part B) in female patients with uncomplicated urinary tract infection in the United States. This retrospective cohort study of linked Optum and Premier Healthcare Database data included female patients ≥12 years old with an uncomplicated urinary tract infection diagnosis (index date), who were prescribed antibiotics during an outpatient/emergency department visit between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018. In Part A, patients were stratified by antibiotic prescription appropriateness: appropriate and optimal (compliant with Infectious Diseases Society of America 2011 guidelines for drug class/treatment duration) versus inappropriate/suboptimal (inappropriate drug class/treatment duration per Infectious Diseases Society of America 2011 guidelines, and/or treatment failure). In Part B, patients were stratified by treatment pattern (antibiotic switch vs no antibiotic switch). Healthcare resource use and costs during index episode (within 28 days of index date) and 12-month follow-up were compared. Of 5870 patients (mean age 44.5 years), 2762 (47.1%) had inappropriate/suboptimal prescriptions and 567 (9.7%) switched antibiotic. Inappropriate/suboptimal prescriptions were associated with higher healthcare resource use (mean number of ambulatory care and pharmacy claims [both p < 0.001]), and higher total mean cost (inpatient, outpatient/emergency department, ambulatory visits, and pharmacy costs) per patient ($2616) than appropriate and optimal prescriptions ($649; p < 0.001) (Part A). Antibiotic switching was associated with more pharmacy claims and higher total mean costs (p ≤ 0.01), and a higher incidence of recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infection (18.9%) than no antibiotic switching (14.2%; p < 0.001) (Part B). Inappropriate/suboptimal prescriptions and antibiotic switching were associated with high costs, ambulatory care, and pharmacy claims, suggesting a need for improved uncomplicated urinary tract infection prescribing practices in the United States.

Real-World Treatment Patterns, Healthcare Resource Use, and Costs Among Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Retrospective Analysis of US Claims Data

Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with high economic burden and a strong pipeline of novel therapies. To better understand this rapidly evolving treatment landscape and current economic burden in DLBCL, this study describes real-world treatment patterns, healthcare resource use (HRU), and costs in DLBCL patients in the US, overall and by line of therapy (LOT). Methods: Optum Clinformatics claims data from October 2015 to June 2020 were used to identify adult patients with ≥2 diagnosis codes for DLBCL on ≥2 distinct dates within 12 months. The index date was defined as the date of the first observed DLBCL diagnosis. Continuous enrollment was required for ≥12 months pre-index (i.e., baseline period) and ≥1-month post-index. Patients with diagnosis codes for DLBCL or any other malignancy during baseline were excluded to increase the likelihood of capturing newly diagnosed patients. Demographic and clinical characteristics were assessed during baseline, and all-cause and DLBCL-related HRU (monthly incidence rates and 95% confidence intervals [CI]) and costs (per patient per month [PPPM]) were estimated from the index date to the earliest of end of either continuous enrollment or study period. A LOT algorithm was developed to identify lines of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-recommended systemic therapies, stem cell transplantation (SCT), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapies during the study period among a subset of patients with no claims for treatments of interest during the baseline period and ≥1 claim for treatment during the study period. HRU and costs were described during the first line (1L), second line (2L), and third and subsequent line (3L+) periods. Results: A total of 3,664 patients with DLBCL were included in the study and followed for a mean duration of 18 months post-DLBCL diagnosis. Patients were on average 70 years old, with 47% females, and 75% covered by Medicare. Mean National Cancer Institute Comorbidity Index (NCICI) was 2.2 and the most prevalent comorbidities were cardiovascular disease (32%), diabetes (29%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (24%). On average, patients had 0.13 (95% CI: 0.13, 0.14) all-cause hospitalizations, 3.31 (3.29, 3.32) outpatient visits, 0.07 (0.06, 0.07) emergency room (ER) visits, and 0.15 (0.14, 0.15) other visits PPPM (Table 1). Almost all hospitalizations were DLBCL-related (0.12 PPPM), while outpatient, ER, and other visits were less driven by DLBCL-related visits (1.3, 0.01, and 0.04 visits PPPM respectively). Total all-cause costs were $19,686 PPPM and largely consisted of DLBCL-related medical costs ($16,803). Costs from DLBCL-related hospitalizations accounted for roughly half of the total all-cause costs ($10,704). A total of 2,234 patients (61%) were included for the treatment pattern analysis after applying additional inclusion criteria. Of those, 376 (17%) received a treatment of interest in the relapsed/refractory setting. Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) was the most common treatment in 1L (50%), followed by CHOP (29%) (Table 2). In the 2L setting, R-CHOP (15%), bendamustine-based therapies (14%), and SCT (13%) were the most common regimens. Bendamustine-based therapies (21%), gemcitabine-based regimens (13%), lenalidomide-based therapies (11%), and CAR-T therapy (11%) were commonly used in 3L. Mean treatment duration decreased with increasing lines of therapy (111 days for 1L, 98 days for 2L, and 81 days for 3L). All-cause and DLBCL-related HRU and costs tended to increase with increasing lines of therapy and were generally highest for 3L+ (Table 1). This was especially true for DLBCL-related hospitalization costs, which increased from $5,242 PPPM in 1L to $18,309 PPPM in 3L+ and accounted for increasingly larger proportions of total all-cause costs with increasing lines. Conclusions: This study summarizes the current treatment landscape and economic burden for DLBCL in the US. Results show that various therapies are being used for DLBCL management and quantify the high HRU and cost burden among patients with DLBCL, especially during later lines of therapy, highlighting an area of unmet need. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal