scholarly journals Cohort study of healthcare use, costs and diagnoses from onset to 6 months after discharge for takotsubo syndrome in Sweden

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e027814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Wallström ◽  
Inger Ekman ◽  
Elmir Omerovic ◽  
Kerstin Ulin ◽  
Hanna Gyllensten

ObjectiveLittle is known about the economic impact of takotsubo syndrome (TS) for patients and the health system after initial discharge from hospital. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the healthcare resource use and calculate direct healthcare costs for TS, from hospitalisation to 6 months after discharge, and explore the distribution of costs between TS and other diagnoses among patients with TS.Method, participants and settingCohort study investigating direct healthcare costs from hospitalisation, open specialised outpatient and primary care. Healthcare resource use during 6 months after diagnosis with TS was collected for 58 consecutive patients from the Regional Patient Register. Incidence-based direct healthcare costs, in 2015 values, were calculated using diagnosis-related group weights and unit costs from national statistics on healthcare costs.ResultsThe mean length of hospital stay was 10.2 days, index 6.4 and re-admissions 3.8 days. The mean number of follow-up encounters per patient was 15.6, of which two-thirds was specialised outpatient and one-third was primary care. This resulted in an average cost of €10 360. Of this, costs of €8026 (77.5%) occurred during encounters for which at least one of the registered conditions was cardiovascular. Costs differed little according to background characteristics.ConclusionThis study shows that patients utilise hospital, specialised outpatient and primary care after discharge for TS. Most direct healthcare costs relate to cardiac diagnoses. Patients with TS would probably benefit from a supportive follow-up programme after discharge from hospital.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqin Yang ◽  
Kaushal Desai ◽  
Neha Agrawal ◽  
Kirti Mirchandani ◽  
Sagnik Chatterjee ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-related plexiform neurofibromas (PN) can cause substantial morbidity by disfigurement and compression of vital structures. Real-world data on the burden and cost of disease among pediatric patients with NF1 and PN is limited. The objectives of this study were to describe the characteristics, treatment patterns, healthcare resource use (HCRU), and costs of these patients.Results: A total of 383 patients were included in the retrospective analysis of patients aged ≤18 with at least 1 ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for both NF1 and PN enrolled in the MarketScan® Multistate Medicaid database from October 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017. The mean follow-up was 448 days. The mean age was 11.4 years and 52.0% of patients were male. Most patients were diagnosed by a specialist (63.5%). During the follow-up period, pain medications were used by 58.5% of patients, 25.1% were treated with chemotherapy, 7.1% received surgery for PN, 1.6% received MEK inhibitors, and 0.8% received radiation. Mean per patient per year inpatient, outpatient, emergency room, pharmacy, and other visits were 1.4, 17.3, 1.6, 13.6, and 25.8, respectively. Mean ±SD (median) total per patient per year healthcare costs (2018 USD) were $17,275 ±$61,903 ($2,889), with total medical costs of $14,628 ±$56,203 ($2,334) and pharmacy costs of $2,646 ±$13,303 ($26). Inpatient costs were the largest drivers of medical cost, with a mean per patient per year cost of $6,739.Conclusions: This study showed that many pediatric patients diagnosed with NF1 and PN were treated with supportive care only, highlighting a substantial unmet medical need. This study also highlights the considerable economic burden among patients with NF1 and PN.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan C. Ng ◽  
Mohsen Sadatsafavi ◽  
Abdollah Safari ◽  
J. Mark FitzGerald ◽  
Kate M. Johnson

ABSTRACTObjectivesA current diagnosis of asthma cannot be objectively confirmed in many patients with physician-diagnosed asthma. Estimates of resource use in overdiagnosed cases of asthma are necessary to measure the burden of overdiagnosis and evaluate strategies to reduce this burden. We assessed the difference in asthma-related healthcare resource use between patients with a confirmed asthma diagnosis and those with asthma ruled out.DesignPopulation-based prospective cohort study.SettingParticipants were recruited through random-digit dialling of both landlines and mobile phones in BC, Canada.ParticipantsWe included 345 individuals ≥12 years of age with a self-reported physician diagnosis of asthma which was confirmed by a bronchodilator reversibility or methacholine challenge test at the end of the 12-month follow-up.Primary and secondary outcome measuresSelf-reported annual asthma-related direct healthcare costs (2017 Canadian dollars), outpatient physician visits, and medication use from the Canadian healthcare system perspective.ResultsAsthma was ruled out in 86 (24.9%) participants. Average annual asthma-related direct healthcare costs for participants with confirmed asthma were $497.9 (SD $677.9), and $307.7 (SD $424.1) for participants with asthma ruled out. In the adjusted analyses, a confirmed diagnosis was associated with higher direct healthcare costs (Relative Ratio [RR]=1.60, 95%CI 1.14-2.22), increased rate of specialist visits (RR=2.41, 95%CI 1.05-5.40) and reliever medication use (RR=1.62, 95%CI 1.09-2.35), but not primary care physician visits (p=0.10) or controller medication use (p=0.11).ConclusionsA quarter of individuals with a physician diagnosis of asthma did not have asthma after objective re-evaluation. These participants still consumed a significant amount of asthma-related healthcare resources. The population-level economic burden of asthma overdiagnosis could be substantial.Strengths and limitations of this studyParticipants were recruited through random sampling of the general population in the province of British Columbia.Asthma diagnosis was confirmed or ruled out using sequential guideline-recommended objective airway tests.Healthcare resource use was self-reported, potential recall bias may have led to reduced accuracy.The study was unable to evaluate the indirect costs of overdiagnosis or the cost-savings from correcting the diagnosis.The generalizability of the results may be limited by regional differences in medical costs and practices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S819-S819
Author(s):  
Winnie Nelson ◽  
Laura Stong ◽  
Naomi Sacks ◽  
Alexandria Portelli ◽  
Bridget Healey ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), especially recurrent CDI (rCDI), is associated with high morbidity and resource use and imposes a significant burden on the US healthcare system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the burden of rCDI on healthcare resource utilization. Methods A retrospective study analyzed commercial claims data from patients aged 18–64 years old in the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus™ database. CDI episodes required an inpatient stay with CDI diagnosis code (ICD-9-CM 008.45; ICD-10-CM A04.7, A04.71, A04.72), or an outpatient medical claim with CDI diagnosis code plus a CDI treatment, and index episodes occurred from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2017. Only patients who were observable 6 months before and 12 months after the index CDI episode were included. Each CDI episode was followed by a 14-day claim-free period after the end of treatment. rCDI was defined as another CDI episode within an 8-week window immediately after the claim-free period. Number of CDI and rCDI episodes, healthcare resource use, and costs were calculated over 12-month follow-up and stratified by number of rCDI episodes. Costs were adjusted to 2018 dollars. Results 46,571 patients with an index CDI episode were included, with 3,129 (6.7%) who had 1 rCDI, 472 (1.0%) who had 2 rCDI, and 134 (0.3%) who had 3+ rCDI episodes. Mean age was 47.4 years, and 62.4% were female. In the 12-month follow-up, the mean (SD) numbers of inpatient visits were 1.4 (2.1) for those with no rCDI, 2.7 (3.4) for those with 1 rCDI, 3.7 (3.9) for those with 2 rCDI, and 5.8 (6.0) for those with 3+ rCDI episodes. Emergency department (ED) visits had a similar trend, with mean (SD) number of visits of 1.5 (3.5), 2.5 (6.0), 3.7 (7.0), and 4.6 (13), respectively for the four study groups. All-cause costs after the index CDI were $71,980 for those with no rCDI, $131,953 for those with 1 rCDI, $180,574 for those with 2 rCDI, and $207,733 for those with 3+ rCDI. Conclusion CDI and rCDI are associated with substantial healthcare resource utilization and direct medical costs. During the 12 months after an index CDI episode, the number of inpatient admissions and ED visits increased substantially for patients with an rCDI episode. Direct medical costs for patients with rCDI also increased with number of recurrences. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Thorax ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Kerkhof ◽  
Trung N Tran ◽  
Joan B Soriano ◽  
Sarowar Golam ◽  
Danny Gibson ◽  
...  

BackgroundLittle is known about the prevalence of severe, uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma (SUEA) and associated costs.AimsWe sought to determine the prevalence of SUEA and compare asthma-related healthcare resource use (HCRU) and associated costs with overall means for a general asthma population.MethodsThis cohort study evaluated anonymised medical record data (December 1989 through June 2015) from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and the Optimum Patient Care Research Database to study UK patients with active asthma (diagnostic code and one or more drug prescriptions in the baseline year), aged 5 years and older, without concomitant COPD, and with recorded eosinophil count. SUEA was defined as two or more asthma attacks during 1 baseline year preceding a high blood eosinophil count (≥0.3×109/L) for patients prescribed long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) and high-dosage inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) during baseline plus 1 follow-up year. We compared asthma-related HCRU and associated direct costs (2015 pounds sterling, £) during the follow-up year for SUEA versus the general asthma population.ResultsOf 363 558 patients with active asthma and recorded eosinophil count, 64% were women, mean (SD) age was 49 (21) years; 43% had high eosinophil counts, 7% had two or more attacks in the baseline year and 10% were prescribed high-dosage ICS/LABA for 2 study years. Overall, 2940 (0.81%; 95% CI 0.78% to 0.84%) patients had SUEA. Total mean per-patient HCRU and associated costs were four times greater for SUEA versus all patients (HCRU and cost ratios 3.9; 95% CI 3.7 to 4.1).ConclusionsLess than 1% of patients in a general asthma population had SUEA. These patients accounted for substantially greater asthma-related HCRU and costs than average patients with asthma.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy A. Comans ◽  
Nancye M. Peel ◽  
Ian D. Cameron ◽  
Leonard Gray ◽  
Paul A. Scuffham

Objective The aim of the present study was to describe, from the perspective of the healthcare funder, the cost components of the Australian Transition Care Program (TCP) and the healthcare resource use and costs for a group of transition care clients over a 6-month period following admission to the program. Methods A prospective cohort observational study of 351 consenting patients entering community-based transition care at six sites in two states in Australia from November 2009 to September 2010 was performed. Patients were followed up 6 months after admission to the TCP to ascertain current living status and hospital re-admissions over the follow-up period. Cost data were collected by transition care teams and from administrative data (hospital and Medicare records). Results The TCP provides a range of services with most costs attributed to provision of personal care support, case management, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Most healthcare costs up to 6 months after transition care admission were incurred from the hospital admission leading to transition care and from re-admissions. Orthopaedic conditions incurred the highest costs, with many of these for elective procedures and others resulting from falls. Hospital re-admission rates in the present study were 10% lower than in a previous evaluation of the TCP. Over 6 months, approximately 40% of patients in the study were re-admitted to hospital at an average cost of A$7038. Conclusions Although the cost of the TCP is relatively high, it may have some impact on reducing hospital re-admissions and preventing or delaying residential care admissions. What is known about the topic? A majority of healthcare costs occur in older age. What does this paper add? Hospital costs, both initial and re-admissions, are the major contributor to healthcare costs in transition care recipients. Orthopaedic conditions are the most expensive to treat and neurological conditions are the most variable. What are the implications for practitioners? Reducing the length of hospitalisation and reducing re-admissions for older frail people is a key economic concern for health services. Services such as the TCP aim to do both; however, the evidence that this is effective is limited. Streamlining referrals to transition care to enable earlier access and involving the transition care provider in re-admission decisions may help reduce healthcare costs in future.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjqs-2019-010206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Ann Elliott ◽  
Elizabeth Camacho ◽  
Dina Jankovic ◽  
Mark J Sculpher ◽  
Rita Faria

ObjectivesTo provide national estimates of the number and clinical and economic burden of medication errors in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.MethodsWe used UK-based prevalence of medication errors (in prescribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring) in primary care, secondary care and care home settings, and associated healthcare resource use, to estimate annual number and burden of errors to the NHS. Burden (healthcare resource use and deaths) was estimated from harm associated with avoidable adverse drug events (ADEs).ResultsWe estimated that 237 million medication errors occur at some point in the medication process in England annually, 38.4% occurring in primary care; 72% have little/no potential for harm and 66 million are potentially clinically significant. Prescribing in primary care accounts for 34% of all potentially clinically significant errors. Definitely avoidable ADEs are estimated to cost the NHS £98 462 582 per year, consuming 181 626 bed-days, and causing/contributing to 1708 deaths. This comprises primary care ADEs leading to hospital admission (£83.7 million; causing 627 deaths), and secondary care ADEs leading to longer hospital stay (£14.8 million; causing or contributing to 1081 deaths).ConclusionsUbiquitous medicines use in health care leads unsurprisingly to high numbers of medication errors, although most are not clinically important. There is significant uncertainty around estimates due to the assumption that avoidable ADEs correspond to medication errors, data quality, and lack of data around longer-term impacts of errors. Data linkage between errors and patient outcomes is essential to progress understanding in this area.


2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon T. Suehs ◽  
Sonali N. Shah ◽  
Cralen D. Davis ◽  
Jose Alvir ◽  
Warachal E. Faison ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
A Valero ◽  
J Molina ◽  
J Nuevo ◽  
S Simon ◽  
M Capel ◽  
...  

Objective: To determine the relationship between short-acting beta-adrenergic agonist (SABA) overuse and healthcare resource use and costs in asthma patients in routine clinical practice. Methods: A longitudinal retrospective study in Spanish primary and specialized care using the BIG-PAC® Medical Records Database was conducted. Asthma patients ≥12 years of age who attended ≥ 2 consultations during 2017 and had 1-year follow-up data available were included. Main outcomes were demographics, comorbidities, medication, clinical and healthcare resource use and costs. The relationship between SABA overuseand healthcare costs, and between asthma severity and healthcare costs was determined. Results: This SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) study included 39,555 patients, mean (standard deviation, SD) age 49.8 (20.7) years; 64.2% were female. Charlson comorbidity index was 0.7 (1.0). SABA overuse (≥ 3 canisters/year) was 28.7% (95% CI: 27.7–29.7), with an overall mean number of 3.3 (3.6) canisters/year. Overall, 5.1% of patients were prescribed ≥12 canisters/year. SABA overuse was correlated with healthcare costs (ρ = 0.621; p < 0.001).The adjusted mean annual cost/patient, according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA 2019) classification of asthma severity, was €2,231, €2,345, €2,735, €3,473, and €4,243,for GINA steps 1−5, respectively (p < 0.001). Regardless of asthma severity, SABA overuse yielded a significant increase in healthcare costs per patient and year (€5,702 vs. €1,917, p < 0.001) compared with recommended use (< 2 canisters/year). Conclusions: SABA overuse yields greater costs for the Spanish National Health System. Costs increased according to asthma severity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. F285-F292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Rivero-Arias ◽  
Oya Eddama ◽  
Denis Azzopardi ◽  
A David Edwards ◽  
Brenda Strohm ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of hypothermic neural rescue for perinatal asphyxia at birth on healthcare costs of survivors aged 6–7 years, and to quantify the relationship between costs and overall disability levels.Design6–7 years follow-up of surviving children from the Total Body Hypothermia for Neonatal Encephalopathy (TOBY) trial.SettingCommunity study including a single parental questionnaire to collect information on children’s healthcare resource use.Patients130 UK children (63 in the control group, 67 in the hypothermia group) whose parents consented and returned the questionnaire.InterventionsIntensive care with cooling of the body to 33.5°C for 72 hours or intensive care alone.Main outcome measuresHealthcare resource usage and costs over the preceding 6 months.ResultsAt 6–7 years, mean (SE) healthcare costs per child were £1543 (£361) in the hypothermia group and £2549 (£812) in the control group, giving a saving of −£1005 (95% CI −£2734 to £724). Greater levels of overall disability were associated with progressively higher costs, and more parents in the hypothermia group were employed (64% vs 47%). Results were sensitive to outlying observations.ConclusionsCost results although not significant favoured moderate hypothermia and so complement the clinical results of the TOBY Children study. Estimates were however sensitive to the care requirements of two seriously ill children in the control group. A quantification of the relationship between costs and levels of disability experienced will be useful to healthcare professionals, policy makers and health economists contemplating the long-term economic consequences of perinatal asphyxia and hypothermic neural rescue.Trial registration numberThis study reports on the follow-up of the TOBY clinical trial: ClinicalTrials. gov number NCT01092637.


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