Optimizing Guideline-directed Medical Therapies for Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction During Hospitalization

Heart failure remains a huge societal concern despite medical advancement, with an annual direct cost of over $30 billion. While guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is proven to reduce morbidity and mortality, many eligible patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are not receiving one or more of the recommended medications, often due to suboptimal initiation and titration in the outpatient setting. Hospitalization serves as a key point to initiate and titrate GDMT. Four evidence-based therapies have clinical benefit within 30 days of initiation and form a crucial foundation for HFrEF therapy: renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors with or without a neprilysin inhibitor, β-blockers, mineralocorticoid-receptor-antagonists, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors. The authors present a practical guide for the implementation of these four pillars of GDMT during a hospitalization for acute heart failure.

Cost of chronic and episodic migraine patients in continuous treatment for two years in a tertiary level headache Centre

Background Migraine is one of the most common neurological diseases and an estimated 1.04 billion people worldwide have been diagnosed with migraine. Available data suggest that migraine is world widely associated with a high economic burden, but there is great variability in estimated costs that depends on the geographical, methodological and temporal differences between the studies. The purpose of this study was to quantify the annual direct cost of episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM), both for the patient and for the National Health System (NHS), using data from subjects who attended an Italian tertiary headache centre. Furthermore, we evaluated comparatively the impact of gender and age on the economic burden of migraine. Methods We conducted a retrospective and non-interventional observational analysis of the electronic medical records of subjects with EM and CM who consecutively attended the Regional Referral Headache Centre of Rome and undergoing continuous treatment in the 2 years prior to 31 January 2019. This approach was intended to prevent distorsions due to natural fluctuations in migraine status over time. The collected data included demographic characteristics, number of specialist visits, consumption of medications, diagnostic tests, accesses in the emergency department (ED) and days of hospitalization due to the pathology. Results Our sample consisted of 548 patients (85.4% women and 14.6% men): 65.5% had CM and 34.5% had EM. The average annual expenditure per patient was €1482. 82.8% of the total cost (€1227) was covered by the NHS. The main item of expenditure were medications that represented 86.8% (€1286), followed by specialist visits (10.2%), hospitalizations for (1.9%), diagnostic tests for (1%) and ED visits for (0.1%). Costs were significantly higher for women than men (€1517 vs. €1274, p = 0.013) and increased with age (p = 0.002). The annual direct cost of CM was 4.8-fold higher than that of EM (€2037 vs. €427, p = 0.001). Conclusion Our results provide a valuable estimate of the annual direct cost of CM and EM patients in the specific setting of a tertiary headache centre and confirm the high economic impact of migraine on both the NHS and patients.

Counting Costs under Severe Financial Constraints: A Cost-of-Illness Analysis of Spondyloarthropathies in a Tertiary Hospital in Greece

Objective.To investigate the total annual direct cost of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) in Greece.Methods.Retrospective study with 156 patients diagnosed and followed up in the rheumatology clinic of the University Hospital of Ioannina. Sixty-four had ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 92 had psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Health resource use for each patient was elicited through a retrospective chart review that documented the use of monitoring visits, medications, laboratory/diagnostic tests, and inpatient stays for the previous year from the date that the review took place. Costs were calculated from a third-party payer perspective and are reported in 2014 euros.Results.The mean ± SD annual direct cost for the patients with SpA reached €8680 ± 6627. For the patients with PsA and AS, the cost was estimated to be €8097 ± 6802 and €9531 ± 6322, respectively. The major cost was medication, which represented 88.9%, 88.2%, and 89.3% of the mean total direct cost for SpA, AS, and PsA, respectively. The annual amount of the scheduled tests for all patients corresponded to 7.5%, and for those performed on an emergency basis, 1.1%. Further, the cost for scheduled and emergency hospitalization, as well as the cost of scheduled visits to an outpatient clinic, corresponded to 2.5% of the mean total annual direct cost for the patients with SpA.Conclusion.SpA carries substantial financial cost, especially in the era of new treatment options. Adequate access and treatment for patients with SpA remains a necessity, even in times of fiscal constraint. Thus, the recommendations of the international scientific organizations should be considered when administering high-cost drugs such as biological treatments.

Guideline-discordant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) use in localized prostate cancer (CaP) and cost implications: A population-based study.

4647 Background: ADT use in localized CaP has increased overall survival and is recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines in certain clinical situations. However, ADT may cause harm and is without benefit in other situations. Prior studies showed a decline in “inappropriate” ADT use coinciding with Medicare reimbursement changes in 2004-2005. This study examines recent trends in ADT use and quantifies the cost of guideline-discordant ADT. Methods: Patients in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database diagnosed with non-metastatic CaP between 2004 and 2007, ages 66-80 were included for analysis. PSA, Gleason score and clinical stage were used to define D’Amico risk categories. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with guideline-discordant ADT use. Annual direct cost was estimated using the current Medicare reimbursement amount for ADT. Results: Of 24,280 men included, 13% received guideline-discordant ADT. Discordant use declined from 15% in 2004 to 11% in 2007. In low-risk patients, 15% received discordant ADT, mostly due to simultaneous ADT with radiation. Discordant use was seen in 7% of intermediate and 16% of high-risk patients, mostly from ADT monotherapy. African American (AA) (p<.001), older patients (p<.001) and those with more comorbidities (p<.001) were more likely to receive discordant ADT (Table). The estimated annual direct cost to Medicare from discordant ADT is $43,500,000. Conclusions: Approximately one in eight patients received ADT discordant with published guidelines, with AA and elderly patients disproportionately affected. Elimination of discordant use would result in substantial savings in healthcare costs. [Table: see text]

Healthcare Cost and Loss of Productivity in a Canadian Population of Patients with and without Lupus Nephritis

Objective.To compare the healthcare cost and loss of productivity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with (LN) and without lupus nephritis (lupus nephritis-negative, LNN).Method.Patients were classified into those with active (ALN and ALNN) and inactive disease (ILN and ILNN). Patients reported on visits to healthcare professionals and use of diagnostic tests, medications, assistive devices, alternative treatments, hospital emergency visits, surgical procedures, and hospitalizations as well as loss of productivity in the 4 weeks preceding enrollment.Results.Enrollment was 141 patients, 79 with LN and 62 LNN. Patients with LN were more likely to visit rheumatologists and nephrologists, undergo diagnostic tests, and had higher costs for medications than patients who were LNN. The annual healthcare cost averaged $CAN 12,597 ± 9946 for patients with LN and $10,585 ± 13,149 for patients who were LNN, a difference of $2012 (95% CI –$2075, $6100). Patients with ALN had more diagnostic tests and surgical procedures, contributing to a significantly higher annual direct cost ($14,224 ± 10,265) compared to patients with ILN ($9142 ± 8419) and a difference of $5082 (95% CI $591, $9573). The healthcare cost was not different between patients with ALNN and patients with ILNN. In patients with LN and patients who were LNN, < 50% were employed and on average missed 6.5–9 days of work per month. The loss of productivity was significantly higher for caregivers of patients with LN than caregivers of patients who were LNN.Conclusion.Healthcare cost and loss of productivity were similar between patients with LN and patients who were LNN; the loss of productivity for caregivers is higher for patients with LN; and the healthcare cost is greater in ALN than in ILN.