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Objectives: Sepsis survivors have greater healthcare use than those surviving hospitalizations for other reasons, yet factors associated with greater healthcare use in this population remain ill-defined. Rural Americans are older, have more chronic illnesses, and face unique barriers to healthcare access, which could affect postsepsis healthcare use. Therefore, we compared healthcare use and expenditures among rural and urban sepsis survivors. We hypothesized that rural survivors would have greater healthcare use and expenditures., Design, Setting, and Patients: To test this hypothesis, we used data from 106,189 adult survivors of a sepsis hospitalization included in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database and Medicare Supplemental database between 2013 and 2018., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: We identified hospitalizations for severe sepsis and septic shock using the International Classification of Diseases , 9th Edition (ICD-9) or 1CD-10 codes. We used Metropolitan Statistical Area classifications to categorize rurality. We measured emergency department (ED) visits, inpatient hospitalizations, skilled nursing facility admissions, primary care visits, physical therapy visits, occupational therapy visits, and home healthcare visits for the year following sepsis hospitalizations. We calculated the total expenditures for each of these categories. We compared outcomes between rural and urban patients using multivariable regression and adjusted for covariates. After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, admission type, insurance type, U.S. Census Bureau region, employment status, and sepsis severity, those living in rural areas had 17% greater odds of having an ED visit (odds ratio [OR] 1.17; 95% CI, 1.13-1.22; p < 0.001), 9% lower odds of having a primary care visit (OR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.94; p < 0.001), and 12% lower odds of receiving home healthcare (OR 0.88; 95% CI, 0.84-0.93; p < 0.001). Despite higher levels of ED use and equivalent levels of hospital readmissions, expenditures in these areas were 14% (OR 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80-0.91; p < 0.001) and 9% (OR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.96; p < 0.001) lower among rural survivors, respectively, suggesting these services may be used for lower-acuity conditions., Conclusions: In this large cohort study, we report important differences in healthcare use and expenditures between rural and urban sepsis survivors. Future research and policy work is needed to understand how best to optimize sepsis survivorship across the urban-rural continuum., Competing Interests: Dr. Stinehart’s institution received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (K76AG054864, 1UM1TR004548). Mr. Hyer and Dr. Brummel received support for article research from the NIH. Dr. Brummel’s institution received funding from the NIH under award number K76AG054864. Mr. Joshi has disclosed that he does not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

In this research, it was aimed to evaluate of social and community factors effective in increasing the number of liver donors. Descriptive and relational scanning models were used to conduct the research. Data on liver donors was gathered from the USA Health Resources & Services Administration's Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network between 1988 and 2023. The United States (USA) World Bank Country Reports provided the mortality rates. The data was analyzed using Spearman rho correlation, year-controlled partial correlation, and Generalized Linear Model-Logit analysis. Deceased donor numbers were significantly and negatively correlated with government health expenditure (r = -0.816; P < .01), current health expenditure (r = -0.768; P < .01), female education attainment (r = -0.804; P < .01) and Gini index (r = 0.434; P < .05). Living donor numbers were significantly and negatively correlated with government health expenditure (r = -0.731; P < .01), current health expenditure (r = -0.781; P < .01), male percentage (r = -0.786; P < .01), female education attainment (r = -0.640; P < .05), employment (r = 0.751; P < .01), GDP (r = -0.792; P < .01) and Gini index (r = -0.486; P < .01). Living donor numbers were significantly and positively correlated with age dependency (r = 0.815; P < .01). Generalized Linear Model-Logit (GLM-L) results showed that effect of female education attainment had significant contribution on deceased liver donor (B = -3290.605; P < .01). Effects of significantly correlated community factors on living liver donor numbers were found to be statistically insignificant (P > .05). Research findings reveal that among community factors, especially women's participation in education has a statistically significant effect on liver donors. These results show that the health expenditures made over the years do not provide any added value for liver donors, and role of women on liver donor is significantly dominant., Competing Interests: Author decelerates no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background/objective: Rheumatologic diseases encompass a group of disabling conditions that often require expensive clinical treatments and limit an individual's ability to work and maintain a steady income. The purpose of this study was to evaluate contemporary patterns of financial toxicity among patients with rheumatologic disease and assess for any associated demographic factors., Methods: The cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey was queried from 2013 to 2018 for patients with rheumatologic disease. Patient demographics and self-reported financial metrics were collected or calculated including financial hardship from medical bills, financial distress, food insecurity, and cost-related medication (CRM) nonadherence. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess for factors associated with increased financial hardship., Results: During the study period, 20.2% of 41,502 patients with rheumatologic disease faced some degree of financial hardship due to medical bills, 55.0% of whom could not pay those bills. Rheumatologic disease was associated with higher odds of financial hardship from medical bills (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-1.36; p < 0.001) with similar trends for patients suffering from financial distress, food insecurity, and CRM nonadherence (p < 0.001 for all). Financial hardship among patients with rheumatologic disease was associated with being younger, male, Black, and uninsured ( p < 0.001 for all)., Conclusion: In this nationally representative study, we found that a substantial proportion of adults with rheumatologic disease in the United States struggled with paying their medical bills and suffered from food insecurity and CRM nonadherence. National health care efforts and guided public policy should be pursued to help ease the burden of financial hardship for these patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Collaborative care integrates mental health treatment into primary care and has been shown effective. Yet even in states where its use has been encouraged, take-up remains low and there are potential financial barriers to care., Objective: Describe patient out-of-pocket costs and variations in referral patterns for collaborative care in Colorado., Research Design: Retrospective observational study using administrative medical claims data to identify outpatient visits with collaborative care. For individuals with ≥1 visit, we measure spending and visits at the month level. Among physicians with billings for collaborative care, we measure prevalence of eligible patients with collaborative care utilization., Subjects: Patients with Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or commercial health insurance in Colorado, 2018-2019., Outcomes: Out-of-pocket costs (enrollee payments to clinicians), total spending (insurer+enrollee payments to clinicians), percent of patients billed collaborative care., Results: Median total spending (insurer+patient cost) was $48.32 (IQR: $41-$53). Median out-of-pocket cost per month in collaborative care was $8.35 per visit (IQR: $0-$10). Patients with commercial insurance paid the most per month (median: $15); patients with Medicare Advantage paid the least (median: $0). Among clinicians billing for collaborative care (n=193), a mean of 12 percent of eligible patients utilized collaborative care; family practice and advanced practice clinicians' patients utilized it most often., Conclusions: Collaborative care remains underused with fewer than 1 in 6 potentially eligible patients receiving care in this setting. Out-of-pocket costs varied, though were generally low; uncertainty about costs may contribute to low uptake., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare expenditures between surgical and matched nonsurgical patients in a retrospective cohort study., Background: Bariatric surgery leads to substantial improvements in weight and weight-related conditions, but prior literature on postsurgical health expenditures is equivocal., Methods: In a retrospective study, total outpatient, inpatient, and medication expenditures 3 years before and 5.5 years after surgery were compared between 22,698 bariatric surgery [n = 7127 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), 15,571 sleeve gastrectomy (SG)] patients from 2012 to 2019 and 66,769 matched nonsurgical patients, using generalized estimating equations. We also compared expenditures between patients receiving the 2 leading surgical procedures in weighted analyses., Results: Surgical and nonsurgical cohorts were well matched, 80% to 81% females, with mean body mass index of 44 and mean age of 47 (RYGB) and 44 (SG) years. Estimated total expenditures were similar between surgical and nonsurgical groups 3 years before surgery ($27 difference, 95% CI: -42, 102), increased 6 months before surgery for surgical patients, and decreased below preperiod levels for both groups after 3 to 5.5 years to become similar (difference at 5.5 years = -$61, 95% CI: -166, 52). Long-term outpatient expenditures were similar between groups. Surgical patients' lower long-term medication expenditures ($314 lower at 5.5 years, 95% CI: -419, -208) were offset by a higher risk of hospitalization. Total expenditures were similar between patients undergoing RYGB and SG 3.5 to 5.5 years after surgery., Conclusions: Bariatric surgery translated into lower medication expenditures than matched controls, but not lower overall long-term expenditures. Expenditure trends appear similar for the two leading bariatric operations., Competing Interests: M.M. was supported by a Research Career Scientist award from the Department of Veterans Affairs (RCS 10-391). The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

This retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study aimed to analyze the trend of utilizing traditional Korean medicine services in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and/or lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). In this study, based on the national patient sample data provided by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), the trend of Korean medicine service utilization was investigated, including the following information: demographic characteristics of the patients, the total expenditure, number of claim statements per category, medical care expenditure per category, and routes of visiting traditional Korean medicine institutions. The study population comprised patients who visited Korean medicine institutions at least once from January 2010 to December 2019, with LSS and LDH as the primary diagnosis. LDH patients who used traditional Korean medicine services for treatment increased by about 1.36 times. LDH and LSS patients under 45 years of age were more likely to be males, but women accounted for a higher percentage among those over 45 years of age. Overall, women accounted for a slightly higher percentage than their counterparts for both diseases. From details of treatments received that were extracted from the claims data, acupuncture treatment accounted for the highest percentage for both disorders. Moreover, 50.7% of the patients who visited Korean medicine institutions to treat the two diseases also visited conventional Western medicine institutions. These patients, who were diagnosed with their condition at a Korean medicine institution, visited a conventional institution and then returned; the conventional institutions were primarily used for examination (40.5%). Increased utilization of traditional Korean medicine services was confirmed among patients with LDH and/or LSS; in particular, a sharp increase was noted among patients with LSS. The results of this study will be useful as basic research data for clinicians, researchers, and policy makers., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: To identify the out-of-pocket expenses and parent-reported quality of life (QoL) of children with a diagnosis of cow's milk protein allergy between the ages of 0 and 5 using the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire - Parent Form., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary care centers in Bogotá. Demographic, medical information, and QoL scores were collected by parental interview. We carried out a cost-of-illness analysis based on self-reported out-of-pocket expenses attributed to the treatment as a whole and the family's monthly income. Exploratory analyses used the QoL scores and the percentage of out-of-pocket expenses attributable to treatment as outcomes., Results: 122 families were analyzed. Median subject age was 17 months (Q1-Q3: 11-26.75 months) and female subjects made up 71% of the sample. The median QoL score was 3.21 points (Q1-Q3: 2.43-4.34) and only differed by age groups and personal history of other food allergies. The median out-of-pocket treatment related costs was 300,000 Colombian pesos (COP) (Q1-Q3: 280,000-340,000 COP). About 17% of the families had to pay over 15% of their monthly income to purchase food and dietary products. Out-of-pocket treatment related costs differed depending on whether the treatment included formulas (Mann-Whitney test p < 0.001). Out-of-pocket treatment expenses were uncorrelated with the QoL scores., Conclusion: Food allergy related QoL scores were not associated with out-of-pocket expenses as a whole or as a fraction of monthly income but were higher in children with additional food allergies and in older age groups, suggesting a lower QoL., (© 2024 European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.)

Objective: To evaluate inter-hospital variation in 90-day total episode spending for sepsis, estimate the relative contributions of each component of spending, and identify drivers of spending across the distribution of episode spending on sepsis care., Data Sources/study Setting: Medicare fee-for-service claims for beneficiaries (n=324,694) discharged from acute care hospitals for sepsis, defined by MS-DRG, between October 2014 and September 2018., Research Design: Multiple linear regression with hospital-level fixed effects was used to identify average hospital differences in 90-day episode spending. Separate multiple linear regression and quantile regression models were used to evaluate drivers of spending across the episode spending distribution., Results: The mean total episode spending among hospitals in the most expensive quartile was $30,500 compared with $23,150 for the least expensive hospitals ( P <0.001). Postacute care spending among the most expensive hospitals was almost double that of least expensive hospitals ($7,045 vs. $3,742), accounting for 51% of the total difference in episode spending between the most expensive and least expensive hospitals. Female patients, patients with more comorbidities, urban hospitals, and BPCI-A-participating hospitals were associated with significantly increased episode spending, with the effect increasing at the right tail of the spending distribution., Conclusion: Inter-hospital variation in 90-day episode spending on sepsis care is driven primarily by differences in post-acute care spending., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Given the national attention to disparities in health care, understanding variation provided to minorities becomes increasingly important. This study will examine the effect of race on the rate and cost of unplanned hospitalizations after breast reconstruction procedures., Methods: The authors performed an analysis comparing patients undergoing implant-based and autologous breast reconstruction in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The authors evaluated the rate of unplanned hospitalizations and associated expenditures among patients of different races. Multivariable analyses were performed to determine the association among race and readmissions and health care expenditures., Results: The cohort included 17,042 patients. The rate of an unplanned visit was 5%. The rates of readmissions among black patients (6%) and Hispanic patients (7%) in this study are higher compared with white patients (5%). However, after controlling for patient-level characteristics, race was not an independent predictor of an unplanned visit. In our expenditure model, black patients [adjusted cost ratio, 1.35 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.66)] and Hispanic patients [adjusted cost ratio, 1.34 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.65)] experienced greater cost for their readmission compared with white patients., Conclusions: Although race is not an independent predictor of an unplanned hospital visit after surgery, racial minorities bear a higher cost burden after controlling for insurance status, further stimulating health care disparities. Adjusted payment models may be a strategy to reduce disparities in surgical care. In addition, direct and indirect measures of disparities should be used when examining health care disparities to identify consequences of inequities more robustly., (Copyright © 2023 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Background: The association between cost-sharing and receipt of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is unknown., Methods: We constructed a cohort of 10,513 commercially insured individuals with a new diagnosis of opioid use disorder and information on insurance cost-sharing in a large national deidentified claims database. We examined 4 cost-sharing measures: (1) pharmacy deductible; (2) medical service deductible; (3) pharmacy medication copay; and (4) medical office copay. We measured MOUD (naltrexone, buprenorphine, or methadone) initiation (within 14 d of diagnosis), engagement (second receipt within 34 d of first), and 6-month retention (continuous receipt without 14-d gap). We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between cost-sharing and MOUD initiation, engagement, and retention. We calculated total out-of-pocket costs in the 30 days following MOUD initiation for each type of MOUD., Results: Of 10,513 individuals with incident opioid use disorder, 1202 (11%) initiated MOUD, 742 (7%) engaged, and 253 (2%) were retained in MOUD at 6 months. A high ($1000+) medical deductible was associated with a lower odds of initiation compared with no deductible (odds ratio: 0.85, 95% confidence interval: 0.74-0.98). We found no significant associations between other cost-sharing measures for initiation, engagement, or retention. Median initial 30-day out-of-pocket costs ranged from $100 for methadone to $710 for extended-release naltrexone., Conclusions: Among insurance plan cost-sharing measures, only medical services deductible showed an association with decreased MOUD initiation. Policy and benefit design should consider ways to reduce cost barriers to initiation and retention in MOUD., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) redesign efforts are intended to enhance primary care's ability to improve population health and well-being. PCMH transformation that is focused on "high-value elements" (HVEs) for cost and utilization may improve effectiveness., Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if a focus on achieving HVEs extracted from successful primary care transformation models would reduce cost and utilization as compared with a focus on achieving PCMH quality improvement goals., Research Design: A stratified, cluster randomized controlled trial with 2 arms. All practices received equal financial incentives, health information technology support, and in-person practice facilitation. Analyses consisted of multivariable modeling, adjusting for the cluster, with difference-in-difference results., Subjects: Eight primary care clinics that were engaged in PCMH reform., Measures: We examined: (1) total claims payments; (2) emergency department (ED) visits; and (3) hospitalizations among patients during baseline and intervention years., Results: In total, 16,099 patients met the inclusion criteria. Intervention clinics had significantly lower baseline ED visits (P=0.02) and claims paid (P=0.01). Difference-in-difference showed a decrease in ED visits greater in control than intervention (ED per 1000 patients: +56; 95% confidence interval: +96, +15) with a trend towards decreased hospitalizations in intervention (-15; 95% confidence interval: -52, +21). Costs were not different. In modeling monthly outcome means, the generalized linear mixed model showed significant differences for hospitalizations during the intervention year (P=0.03)., Discussion: The trial had a trend of decreasing hospitalizations, increased ED visits, and no change in costs in the HVE versus quality improvement arms., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effects of gaining access to Medicare on key financial outcomes for surgical patients., Summary Background Data: Surgical care poses a significant financial burden, especially among patients with insufficient financial risk protection. Medicare may mitigate the risk of these adverse circumstances, but the impact of Medicare eligibility on surgical patients remains poorly understood., Methods: Regression discontinuity analysis of national, cross-sectional survey and cost data from the 2008 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Patients were between the ages of 57 to 72 with surgery in the past 12 months. The primary outcomes were the presence of medical debt, delay/deferment of care due to cost, total annual out-of-pocket costs, and experiencing catastrophic health expenditures., Results: Among 45,982,243 National Health Interview Survey patients, Medicare eligibility was associated with a 6.6 percentage-point decrease (95% confidence interval [CI]: -9.0% to -4.3) in being uninsured (>99% relative reduction), 7.6 percentage-point decrease (24% relative reduction) in having medical debt (95%CI: -14.1% to -1.1%), and 4.9 percentage-point decrease (95%CI: -9.4% to -0.4%) in deferrals/delays in medical care due to cost (28% relative reduction). Among 33,084,967 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey patients, annual out-of-pocket spending decreased by $1199 per patient (95%CI: -$1633 to -$765), a 33% relative reduction, and catastrophic health expenditures decreased by 7.3 percentage points (95%CI: -13.6% to -0.1%), a 55% relative reduction., Conclusions: Medicare may reduce the economic burden of healthcare spending and delays in care for older adult surgical patients. These findings have important implications for policy discussions regarding changing insurance eligibility thresholds for the older adult population., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest, (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Stroke contributes an estimated $28 billion to US health care costs annually, and alternative payment models aim to improve outcomes and lower spending over fee-for-service by aligning economic incentives with high value care. This systematic review evaluates historical and current evidence regarding the impacts of alternative payment models on stroke outcomes, spending, and utilization. Included studies evaluated alternative payment models in 4 categories: pay-for-performance (n=3), prospective payments (n=14), shared savings (n=5), and capitated payments (n=14). Pay-for-performance models were not consistently associated with improvements in clinical quality indicators of stroke prevention. Studies of prospective payments suggested that poststroke spending was shifted between care settings without consistent reductions in total spending. Shared savings programs, such as US Medicare accountable care organizations and bundled payments, were generally associated with null or decreased spending and service utilization and with no differences in clinical outcomes following stroke hospitalizations. Capitated payment models were associated with inconsistent effects on poststroke spending and utilization and some worsened clinical outcomes. Shared savings models that incentivize coordination of care across care settings show potential for lowering spending with no evidence for worsened clinical outcomes; however, few studies evaluated clinical or patient-reported outcomes, and the evidence, largely US-based, may not generalize to other settings.

Objective: We sought to characterize the association between patient county-level vulnerability with postoperative outcomes., Summary Background Data: Although the impact of demographic-, clinical- and hospital-level factors on outcomes following surgery have been examined, little is known about the effect of a patient's community of residence on surgical outcomes., Methods: Individuals who underwent colon resection, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), lung resection, or lower extremity joint replacement (LEJR) were identified in the 2016 to 2017 Medicare database, which was merged with Center for Disease Control social vulnerability index (SVI) dataset at the beneficiary level of residence. Logistic regression models were utilized to estimate the probability of postoperative complications, mortality, readmission, and expenditures., Results: Among 299,583 Medicare beneficiary beneficiaries who underwent a colectomy (n = 88,778, 29.6%), CABG (n = 109,564, 36.6%), lung resection (n = 30,401, 10.1%), or LEJR (n = 70,840, 23.6%).Mean SVI score was 50.2 (standard deviation: (25.2); minority patients were more likely to reside in highly vulnerable communities (low SVI: n = 3531, 5.8% vs high SVI: n = 7895, 13.3%; P < 0.001). After controlling for competing risk factors, the risk-adjusted probability of a serious complication among patients from a high versus low SVI county was 10% to 20% higher following colectomy [odds ratio (OR) 1.1 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.1-1.2] or CABG (OR 1.2 95%CI 1.1-1.3), yet there no association of SVI with risk of serious complications following lung resection (OR 1.2 95%CI 1.0-1.3) or LEJR (OR 1.0 95%CI 0.93-1.2). The risk-adjusted probability of 30-day mortality was incrementally higher among patients from high SVI counties following colectomy (OR 1.1 95%CI 1.1-1.3), CABG (OR 1.4, 95%CI 1.2-1.5), and lung resection (OR 1.4 (95%CI 1.1-1.8), yet not LEJR (OR 0.95 95%CI 0.72-1.2). Black/minority patients undergoing a colectomy, CABG, or lung resection who lived in highly socially vulnerable counties had an estimate 28% to 68% increased odds of a serious complication and a 58% to 60% increased odds of 30-day mortality compared with a Black/minority patient from a low socially vulnerable county, as well as a markedly higher risk than White patients (all P > 0.05)., Conclusions: Patients residing in vulnerable communities characterized by a high SVI generally had worse postoperative outcomes. The impact of social vulnerability was most pronounced among Black/minority patients, rather than White individuals. Efforts to ensure equitable surgical outcomes need to focus on both patient-level, as well as community-specific factors., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: Greater than 25% of annual healthcare expenditures in the United States are associated with the medical needs of people with disabilities. People with disabilities often experience inequalities with access to healthcare services, resulting in increased costs of living with disability. The economic burden of living with a disability results in nearly US $400 billion spent annually from combined public and private payor sources. Historically, disparities in health care are associated with intersections between race, culture, and environmental factors. Minority status also plays a significant role in health outcomes, and studies have highlighted the additional burdens faced at the junction of race and disability status. COVID-19 changed the landscape of healthcare delivery in the United States, resulting in a drastic increase in telehealth utilization. Traditional nonmedical barriers to persons with disability, such as unforeseen parking fees, are documented in the literature. However, conditions surrounding access to the necessary technology required to participate in a telehealth-driven medical landscape are less clear. This article addresses the nonmedical barriers and costs associated with living with a disability and discusses potential solutions in the evolving healthcare system., Competing Interests: Financial disclosure statements have been obtained, and no conflicts of interest have been reported by the authors or by any individuals in control of the content of this article., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: To determine the economic burden of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in Taiwan, we conducted a national retrospective claim database analysis to evaluate the incremental healthcare costs and utilization of MBC patients as compared to their breast cancer (BC) and breast cancer free (BCF) counterparts.Data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Claim Database and the Taiwan Cancer Registry database between 2012 and 2015. All healthcare utilization and costs were calculated on a per-patient-per-month (PPPM) basis and were compared among groups using the generalized linear model adjusting for age group, residential area, and Charlson comorbidity index group.A total of 1,606 MBC patients were matched to 6,424 BC patients and 6,424 BCF patients. The majority of overall MBC healthcare costs were attributed to outpatient costs (75.1%), followed by inpatient (23.2%) and emergency room costs (1.7%). The PPPM total healthcare costs of the MBC, BC, and BCF groups were TWD 7,422, 14,425, and 2,114, respectively. The adjusted PPPM total healthcare cost ratio of MBC to BCF was 4.1. Compared to BCF patients, the patients receiving both human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-targeted therapy and endocrine therapy incurred 28.1 times PPPM total costs. The adjusted PPPM total healthcare cost ratio of recurrent MBC to BCF was 2.3, while the ratio was 12.2 in the de novo MBC group.Patients with MBC are associated with substantial economic burden, particularly in outpatient costs. The study findings could be useful for MBC-related economic evaluations and health resource allocation., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Global variation in the incidence and outcomes of colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with many factors, among which screening policies and early treatment play substantial roles. However, screening programs and intense treatment are expensive and require good health care systems. For CRC, no clear association has yet been established between clinical outcomes and health care disparities., Method: We used the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) of CRC as a measure of clinical outcomes for comparison with the Human Development Index (HDI), current health expenditure (CHE), and current health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (CHE/GDP) using linear regression analyses. We included 171 countries based on data from the GLOBOCAN 2018 database., Results: We found that the regions with the lowest MIRs for CRC are Oceania and North America. A significant correlation was observed between incidence, mortality and HDI, CHE, and CHE/GDP among the countries enrolled. Furthermore, lower MIRs of CRC significantly correlated with higher HDI, CHE, and CHE/GDP (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: : CRC MIRs tend to be most favorable in countries with high health care expenditures and a high HDI., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Abstract: Limited evidence exists regarding the relationships between adherence, as defined in Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) medication adherence measures, health care utilization, and economic outcomes. PQA adherence measures for hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes are of particular interest given their use in Medicare Star Ratings to evaluate health plan performance.The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between adherence and utilization and cost among Medicare Supplemental beneficiaries included in the aforementioned PQA measures over a 1-year period.Retrospective cohort study.Three cohorts (hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes) of eligible individuals from the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Research Databases (2009-2015) were used to assess associations between adherence and health care expenditure and utilization for Medicare Supplemental beneficiaries.Generalized linear models with log link and negative binomial (utilization) or gamma (expenditure) distributions assessed relationships between adherence (≥80% proportion of days covered) and health care utilization and expenditure (in 2015 US dollars) while adjusting for confounding variables. Beta coefficients were used to compute cost ratios and rate ratios.Adherence for all 3 disease cohorts was associated with lower outpatient and inpatient visits. During the 1-year study period, adherence was associated with lower outpatient, inpatient, and total expenditures across the cohorts, ranging from 9% lower outpatient costs (diabetes cohort) to 41.9% lower inpatient costs (hypertension cohort). Savings of up to $324.53 per member per month in total expenditure were observed for the hypertension cohort.Our findings indicate adherence is associated with lower health care utilization and expenditures within 1 year., Competing Interests: Patrick J. Campbell, David R. Axon, Ann M. Taylor, Terri Warholak, and Chanadda Chinthammit, all received funding from Pharmacy Quality Alliance, Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corp., and Tabula Rasa HealthCare Group. Patrick J. Campbell is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ. Matthew Pickering was formerly with the Pharmacy Quality Alliance. Heather Black is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ. Chanadda Chinthammit is an employee of Eli Lilly and Company. Patrick J. Campbell and Chanadda Chinthammit completed this work during their employment at the University of Arizona. Karen Smith has no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe national changes in utilization and associated costs of antidiabetic medications in the United States from 2014 to 2019, across different drug classes and insurance plans., Research Design and Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study examined administrative claims from a large national pharmacy benefits manager from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019. Patients aged 18 years and above enrolled in commercial, Medicare, or Medicaid health plans who filled ≥1 prescription claim for an antidiabetic medication(s) during the 6-year period were included. Utilization was examined as the total number of 30-day adjusted prescription fills per user per month (PUPM). Gross costs were calculated as the sum of plan costs (net of rebates) and member out-of-pocket costs. Differences in mean utilization and costs PUPM between 2014 and 2019 for each medication class were calculated., Results: The final analytic sample increased from 745,290 patients in 2014 to 1,596,006 in 2019. Antidiabetic medication utilization increased by 8.8% from 2014 to 2019, driven by increases in sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (48.7%; P<0.001), glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (11.8%; P<0.001), insulin (8.1%; P<0.001), and metformin (2.9%; P<0.05) utilization. Average costs PUPM rose 47.5% (P<0.001), from $126.52 in 2014 to $186.58 in 2019. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, and combination drugs contributed significantly to these increased costs, with 6-year cost differences of 57.3%, 46.9%, and 47.2%, respectively (all P<0.001)., Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a shift in antidiabetic medication class utilization from 2014 to 2019, where associated costs net of rebates significantly increased to a disproportionately greater extent than the significant increase in utilization PUPM., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Six states expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have obtained waivers to incorporate cost-sharing., Objective: We describe the magnitude and distribution of cost-sharing imposed by the Healthy Michigan Plan and enrollees' propensity to pay., Research Design: Enrollees are followed for at least 18 months (6-mo baseline period for utilization and spending before receipt of first cost-sharing statement; ≥12 mo follow-up thereafter to ascertain obligations and payments). Analyses stratified by income, comparing enrollees with income less than Federal Poverty Level (FPL) who faced only utilization-based copayments and those greater than or equal to FPL who also faced premium contributions., Subjects: A total of 158,322 enrollees aged 22-62 who initially enrolled during the first year of the program and remained continuously enrolled ≥18 months., Results: Among those enrolled ≥18 months, 51.0% faced cost-sharing. Average quarterly invoices were $4.85 ($11.11 for those with positive invoices) for income less than FPL and $26.71 ($30.93 for those with positive invoices) for incomes greater than or equal to FPL. About half of enrollees with obligations made at least partial payments, with payments being more likely among those >100% FPL. Payment of the full obligation was highest in the initial 6 months., Conclusions: Many payment obligations go uncollected, suggesting that in a system without the threat of disenrollment, the impacts of cost-sharing may be muted. Similarly, the ability of cost-sharing to defray the program's budgetary impact may also be less than anticipated., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: There has been a historic separation between systems that address behavioral health problems and the medical care system that addresses other health issues. Integration of the 2 has the potential to improve care.The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Integrated Behavioral Health program on health care utilization and costs.Claims data between 2015 and 2018 from Rhode Island's All Payers Claims Database representing 42,936 continuously enrolled unique patients.Retrospective study based on propensity score-matched difference-in-differences framework.Utilization (emergency department visits, office visits, and hospitalizations) and costs (total, inpatient, outpatient, professional, and pharmacy).Integrated Behavioral Health intervention in Rhode Island was associated with reduction in healthcare utilization. Emergency department visits reduced by 6.4 per 1000 people per month and office visits reduced by 29.8 per 1000 people per month, corresponding to a reduction of 7% and 6%, respectively. No statistically significant association was observed between the intervention and hospitalizations. The evidence was mixed for cost outcomes, with negative association recorded between the intervention and the likelihood of incurring non-zero cost but no significant association was observed between the intervention and the level of costs. This relationship held true for most of the cost measures considered.Integrated Behavioral Health intervention in Rhode Island was associated with significant reductions in emergency department visits and office visits, with no effects on hospitalizations. In terms of the cost outcomes, we found evidence that the intervention negatively affected the likelihood of incurring any non-zero costs but did not affect the level of costs., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: The impact of breast reconstruction on financial toxicity remains poorly understood despite growing awareness. The authors sought to illustrate the relationship between breast reconstruction subtypes and the risk of financial toxicity., Methods: The authors conducted a single-institution cross-sectional survey of all female breast cancer patients undergoing any form of breast reconstruction between January of 2018 and June of 2019. Financial toxicity was measured by means of the validated Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity instrument. Demographics, clinical course, and coping strategies were abstracted from a purpose-built survey and electronic medical records. Multivariable linear regression was performed to identify associations with financial toxicity., Results: The authors' analytical sample was 350 patients. One hundred eighty-four (52.6 percent) underwent oncoplastic reconstruction, 126 (36 percent) underwent implant-based reconstruction, and 40 (11.4 percent) underwent autologous reconstruction. Oncoplastic reconstruction recipients were older, had a higher body mass index, and were more likely to have supplemental insurance and receive adjuvant hormonal therapy. No significant differences in the risk of financial toxicity were uncovered across breast reconstruction subtypes (p = 0.53). Protective factors against financial toxicity were use of supplemental insurance (p = 0.0003) and escalating annual household income greater than $40,000 (p < 0.0001). Receipt of radiation therapy was positively associated with worsening financial toxicity (-2.69; 95 CI percent, -5.22 to -0.15). Financial coping strategies were prevalent across breast reconstruction subtypes., Conclusions: Breast reconstruction subtype does not differentially impact the risk of financial toxicity. Increasing income and supplemental insurance were found to be protective, whereas receipt of radiation therapy was positively associated with financial toxicity. Prospective, multicenter studies are needed to identify the main drivers of out-of-pocket costs and financial toxicity in breast cancer care., (Copyright © 2021 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Background: Asian Americans have lower cancer screening rates than non-Latino "Whites," suggesting inequities in cancer prevention among Asian Americans. Little is known about inequities in cancer treatment between Whites and Asian Americans with cancer., Methods: Using the 2002-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we examined inequities in access to care and health care spending between Whites and Asian Americans with and without cancer. Our outcomes included 3 measures of access to care and 3 measures of health care spending. We used multivariable regressions while adjusting for predisposing, enabling, and need factors and estimated the mean adjusted values of the outcomes for each group. We then examined the differences in these adjusted mean outcomes among Asian Americans relative to Whites., Results: We observed evidence of inequities that Asian Americans without cancer experienced limited access to care due to a lack of a usual source of care. The likelihood of having a usual source of care was lower among Asian Americans without cancer than Whites without cancer. Inequities were not observed among Asian Americans with cancer. Compared with Whites with cancer, Asian Americans with cancer had similar or better levels of access to care. No or marginal differences in health care spending were detected between Whites and Asian Americans with cancer. These findings were consistent in both nonelderly and elderly groups., Conclusion: While Asian Americans without cancer have unmet medical needs due to limited access to care, access to care and spending are relatively equitable between Whites and Asian Americans with cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Persons with dementia need much care, but what care is used and how the burden of financing is divided between persons with dementia, caregivers, and public programs may differ between countries., Objective: The objective of this study was to compare how health care use and out-of-pocket (OOP) spending associated with dementia differ between the United States and Europe, with and without controlling for background characteristics., Research Design: We use prospectively collected survey data from the United States-based Health and Retirement Study (n=48,877) and the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (n=98,971) including all adults over the age of 70 years. Dementia status is imputed using a validated algorithm. After first reporting the observed differences in care use, we analyze how care use is associated with dementia using multivariate regressions, controlling for other health conditions and background characteristics., Results: Persons with dementia in the United States use 50% less formal home care per year than persons living with dementia in Europe [mean (SD)=236.8 h (1047.4) vs. 463.3 h (1371.2)], but use more nursing home care [75.1 d (131.4) vs. 45.5 d (119.4)). Dementia is associated with higher OOP spending in the United States than Europe [4406 USD (95% confidence interval, 3914-4899) vs. 246 USD (73-418)-2017 price levels]., Conclusions: Health care use and OOP spending differ between Europe and the United States. The far greater reliance on nursing home care in the United States likely causes much higher expenditures for people with dementia and insurance programs alike., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: To examine the impact of inadequate health insurance coverage on physician utilization among older adults using a novel quasi-experimental design in the time period following the elimination of cost sharing for most preventative services under the US Affordable Care Act of 2010.The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey full year consolidated data files for the period 2010 to 2017 were used to construct a pooled cross-sectional dataset of adults aged 60 to 70. Regression discontinuity design was used to estimate the impact of transitioning between non-Medicare and Medicare plans on use of routine office-based physician visits and emergency room visits.For the overall population, gaining access to Medicare at age 65 is associated with a higher propensity to make routine office-based visits (2.94 percentage points [pp]; P < .01) and lower out-of-pocket costs (-23.86 pp; P < .01) Similarly, disenrollment from non-Medicare insurance plans at age 66 was associated with more routine office-based visits (3.01 pp; P < .01) and less out-of-pocket costs (-8.09 pp; P < .10). However, some minority groups reported no changes in visits and out-of-pocket costs or reported an increased propensity to make emergency department visits.Enrollment into Medicare from non-Medicare insurance plans was associated with increased use of routine office-based services and lower out-of-pocket costs. However, some subgroups reported no changes in routine visits or costs or an increased propensity to make emergency department visits. These findings suggest other nonfinancial, structural barriers may exist that limit patient's ability to access routine services., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of pain severity among older United States (US) adults with pain.This cross-sectional, retrospective study utilized 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. Eligible participants were alive for the calendar year, aged ≥50 years, and reported pain in the past 4 weeks. Hierarchical logistic regression models, adjusting for the survey design, were used to identify significant predictors of pain severity (i.e., extreme/quite a bit or moderate/little pain).An estimated 14,250,534 adults aged ≥50 with pain reported extreme/quite a bit of pain. Many variables were associated with extreme/quite a bit of pain, including: age 50 to 64 vs ≥65 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.49, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.22-1.82); males vs females (AOR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.67-0.95); white race vs others (AOR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.61-0.92); married vs other marital status (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.08-1.57); income <200% vs ≥200% federal poverty level (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.06-1.60); employed vs unemployed (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.37-0.60); limitation vs no limitation (AOR = 2.64, 95% CI = 2.09-3.33); 0, 1, 3, or 4 vs ≥5 chronic conditions (AOR ranged from 0.39 for 0 conditions to 0.77 for 4 conditions); excellent/very good or good vs fair/poor perceived physical health status (AOR ranged from 0.28 for excellent/very good to 0.40 for good); smokers vs non-smokers (AOR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.27-1.93); exercise versus no exercise (AOR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.62-0.88); and South vs West census region (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.04-1.74).This study found several characteristics could predict pain severity among older US adults who reported extreme/quite a bit of pain. These characteristics may guide specific areas of focus to improve patients' pain management., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Heart failure (HF) constitutes a growing burden for public health and the US health care system. While the prevalence of HF is increasing, differences in health care utilization and expenditures within various sociodemographic groups remain poorly defined., Methods: We used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to assess annual health care utilization and expenditures from 2012 to 2017. Health care utilization was based on the annual frequency of various health care encounters. Annual total and out-of-pocket expenditures were evaluated for hospital inpatient stays, emergency room visits, outpatient visits, office-based medical provider visits, prescribed medicines, dental visits, home health aid visits, and other medical expenses. We performed univariable and multivariable regression analysis based on patient characteristics including sociodemographic and comorbidity variables., Results: Our results showed that total health care expenditures among patients with HF were $21 177 (95% CI, $18 819-$24 736) per year as compared with $5652 (95% CI, $5469-$5837) in those without HF ( P <0.001). Total expenditures within the population with HF were primarily being driven by expenditures associated with inpatient hospitalizations. Increasing number of comorbid conditions was associated with significant increases in total health care expenditures. Older age, female sex, earlier study years, number of comorbidities, higher level of education, and increasing family income brackets independently raised out-of-pocket expenditures., Conclusions: Our findings of increased health care utilization and expenditures based on sex, age, increasing number of comorbidities, wealthier income status, and increased education attainment level may be used for efforts aimed at better distributing health care resources to improve health outcomes in HF.

A recent analysis highlights waste and missed opportunities to improve outcomes., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To address concerns that postacute cost-sharing may deter high-need beneficiaries from participating in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have capped cost-sharing for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services in MA plans since 2011. This study examines whether SNF use, inpatient use, and plan disenrollment changed following stricter regulations in 2015 that required most MA plans to eliminate or substantially reduce cost-sharing for SNF care., Design: Difference-in-differences retrospective analysis from 2013 to 2016., Setting: MA plans., Participants: Thirty-one million MA members in 320 plans with mandatory cost-sharing reductions and 261 plans without such reductions., Measurements: Mean monthly number of SNF admissions, SNF days, hospitalizations, and plan disenrollees per 1000 members., Results: Mean total cost-sharing for the first 20 days of SNF services decreased from $911 to $104 in affected plans. Relative to concurrent changes in plans without mandated cost-sharing reductions, plans with mandatory cost-sharing reductions experienced no significant differences in the number of SNF days per 1000 members (adjusted between-group difference: 0.4 days per 1000 members [95% confidence interval (95% CI), -5.2 to 6.0, P=0.89], small decreases in the number of hospitalizations per 1000 members [adjusted between-group difference: 0.6 admissions per 1000 members (95% CI, -1.0 to -0.1; P=0.03)], and small decreases in the number of SNF users who disenrolled at year-end [adjusted between-group difference: -16.8 disenrollees per 1000 members (95% CI, -31.9 to -1.8; P=0.03)]., Conclusions: Mandated reductions in SNF cost-sharing may have curbed selective disenrollment from MA plans without significantly increasing use of SNF services., Competing Interests: L.M.K. reports spousal income from TriStar Health. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: As a common medical emergency in individuals with diabetes, hypoglycemia events can impose significant demands on hospital resources. Based on diabetes patients with and without hypoglycemia, we assess the cost of hypoglycemic events on China's hospital system., Method: Our study sample comprised 7110 diabetes episodes, including 1417 patients with hypoglycemia (297 patients with severe and 1120 with non-severe hypoglycemia) and 5693 diabetes patients without hypoglycemia. Data on patient social-demographics, length of hospital stay, and hospitalization costs were collected on each patient from Health Information System in Shandong province, China. The additional hospital costs caused by hypoglycemia were assessed by the cost difference between diabetes patients with and without hypoglycemia, including severe and non-severe hypoglycemia. China-wide hospital costs of hypoglycemia were estimated based on adjusted additional hospital costs, comprising inspection, treatment, drugs, materials, nursing, general medical costs, and other costs, caused by hypoglycemia, the prevalence of diabetes and hypoglycemia events, and the rates of hospitalization. Multiple sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the impact of variations in the key input parameters on the primary estimates., Results: Total hospital costs for patients with hypoglycemia (US$3020.61) were significantly higher than that of patients without hypoglycemia (US$1642.91). The average additional cost caused by hypoglycemia was US$1377.70, with higher average costs of US$1875.89 for severe hypoglycemia and lower average costs of US$1244.76 for non-severe hypoglycemia. The additional hospital cost caused by severe and non-severe hypoglycemia patients was higher for the 60 to 75 year old group, married patients and patients accessing free medical services. Generally, hypoglycemic patients with Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance incurred higher additional hospital costs than patients with Urban Employees Basic Medical Insurance. Based on these estimates, the total annual additional hospital costs arising from hypoglycemia events in China were estimated to be US$67.52 million. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the costs of hypoglycemia events ranged up to US$49.99 million to 67.52 million., Conclusion: : Hypoglycemic events imposed a substantial cost on China's hospital system, with certain subgroups of patients, such as older patients and those with free health insurance, using medical resources more intensively to treat hypoglycemia events. We recommend more effective planning of prevention and treatment regimes for hypoglycemia patients; further reform to China's health insurance schemes; and better hospital cost control for those accessing free hospital services., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Unaffordability of medications is a barrier to effective treatment. Cost-related nonadherence (CRN) is a crucial, widely used measure of medications access., Objectives: Our study examines the current national prevalence of and risk factors for CRN (eg, not filling, skipping or reducing doses) and companion measures in the US Medicare population., Research Design: Survey-weighted analyses included logistic regression and trends 2006-2016., Subjects: Main analyses used the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Our study sample of 12,625 represented 56 million community-dwelling beneficiaries., Measures: Additional outcome measures were spending less on other necessities in order to pay for medicines and use of drug cost reduction strategies such as requesting generics., Results: In 2016, 34.5% of enrollees under 65 years with disability and 14.4% of those 65 years and older did not take their medications as prescribed due to high costs; 19.4% and 4.7%, respectively, experienced going without other essentials to pay for medicines. Near-poor older beneficiaries with incomes $15-25K had 50% higher odds of CRN (vs. >$50K), but beneficiaries with incomes <$15K, more likely to be eligible for the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, did not have significantly higher risk. Three indicators of worse health (general health status, functional limits, and count of conditions) were all independently associated with higher risk of CRN., Conclusions: Changes in the risk profile for CRN since Part D reflect the effectiveness of targeted policies. The persistent prevalence of CRN and associated risks for sicker people in Medicare demonstrate the consequences of high cost-sharing for prescription fills.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine differences in health care utilization, process of diabetes care, care satisfaction, and health status for Medicare Advantage (MA) and traditional Medicare (TM) beneficiaries with and without diabetes., Methods: Using the 2010-2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, we identified MA and TM beneficiaries with and without diabetes. To address the endogenous plan choice between MA and TM, we used an instrumental variable approach. Using marginal effects, we estimated differences in the outcomes between MA and TM beneficiaries with and without diabetes., Results: Our instrumental variable analysis showed that compared with TM beneficiaries with diabetes, MA beneficiaries with diabetes had less annual health care utilization, including -22.4 medical provider visits [95% confidence interval (CI): -23.6 to -21.1] and -3.4 outpatient hospital visits (95% CI: -3.8 to -3.0). A significant difference between MA and TM beneficiaries without diabetes was only observed in medical provider visits and the difference was greater among beneficiaries with diabetes than beneficiaries without diabetes (-12.5 medical provider visits; 95% CI: -15.9 to -9.2). While we did not detect significant differences in 5 measures of the process of diabetes care between MA and TM beneficiaries with diabetes, there were inconsistent results in the other 3 measures. There were no or marginal differences in care satisfaction and health status between MA and TM beneficiaries with and without diabetes., Conclusions: MA enrollment was associated with lower health care utilization without compromising care satisfaction and health status, particularly for beneficiaries with diabetes. MA may have a more efficient care delivery system for beneficiaries with diabetes.

Objectives: To conduct a cost analysis of adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy for severe septic shock from the perspective of a third-party payer in the United States., Design: Estimates of outcomes were aggregate data from the Adjunctive Corticosteroid Treatment in Critically Ill Patients with Septic Shock and Activated Protein C and Corticosteroids for Human Septic Shock trials. In these trials, the outcomes of interests were ICU length of stay, vasopressor-free days, ventilation-free days, and the proportion of patients receiving blood transfusion. Each outcome was monetized into a set of mutually exclusive components and was aggregated to estimate the cost-per-patient based on each trial. Cost inputs for each outcome were obtained from literature and adjusted based on the medical care consumer price index. To estimate the budget impact using adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy, per-patient avoided cost was multiplied by expected septic shock annual incidence. Deterministic one-way sensitivity analysis evaluated the robustness of the findings, and Monte Carlo simulation estimated 95% CI of the findings., Setting: A total of 103 medical-surgical ICU (69 for Adjunctive Corticosteroid Treatment in Critically Ill Patients with Septic Shock and 34 for Activated Protein C and Corticosteroids for Human Septic Shock)., Patients: Adults greater than or equal to 18 years old with septic shock., Interventions: Adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy (hydrocortisone at a dose of 200 mg/d for 7 d for Adjunctive Corticosteroid Treatment in Critically Ill Patients with Septic Shock and hydrocortisone at a 50 mg IV bolus every 6 hr and fludrocortisone as a 50 μg tablet once daily)., Measurements and Main Results: Per Adjunctive Corticosteroid Treatment in Critically Ill Patients with Septic Shock, adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy showed a 90-day monetized benefit of $8,111 (95% CI, $3,914-$12,307) per patient, driven by improvements in ICU-free days, vasopressor-free days, ventilation-free days, and blood transfusion proportion. The total estimated annual impact of adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy, in 2019 dollars, was $750 million. Per Activated Protein C and Corticosteroids for Human Septic Shock, adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy showed a 90-day monetized benefit of $25,539 per patient (95% CI, $22,853-$28,224), driven by improvements in ICU free-days, vasopressor-free days, and ventilation-free days. The total estimated annual impact of adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy, in 2019 dollars, was $2.3 billion. The deterministic one-way sensitivity analysis showed the cost of ICU stays to be the most influential factor in both analyses. The sensitivity analysis using the reported median showed a greater monetized benefit of $10,658 (Adjunctive Corticosteroid Treatment in Critically Ill Patients with Septic Shock) and $30,911 (Activated Protein C and Corticosteroids for Human Septic Shock) per patient., Conclusions: Using adjunctive hydrocortisone therapy yields a significant monetized benefit based on inputs from the Adjunctive Corticosteroid Treatment in Critically Ill Patients with Septic Shock and Activated Protein C and Corticosteroids for Human Septic Shock trials.

Background: The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansions (ME) increased insurance coverage for low-income Americans, among whom unmet need for mental health care is high. Empirical evidence regarding the impact of expanding insurance coverage on use of mental health services among low income and minority populations is lacking., Methods: Data on mental health service use collected between 2007 and 2015 by the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey from nationally representative cross-sectional samples of low income (income<138% of the federal poverty line) adults were analyzed. Use trends among people in states that expanded Medicaid (ME states; n=29,827) were compared with concurrent trends among people in states that did not (non-ME states; n=22,873), with statistical adjustment for demographic characteristics and psychological distress., Results: Annual outpatient visits for mental health conditions increased by 0.513 (0.053-0.974) visits per person, from a baseline rate in ME states of 0.894 visits per person. However, no significant changes were observed in number of mental health related hospital stays, emergency department visits or prescription fills. The increase outpatient visits was limited to Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites, with no increase in service use observed among non-Hispanic Blacks. There was no apparent increase in the number of users of outpatient mental health care (AOR=0.992, P=0.942) and a marginally significant (P=0.096) increase of 3.144 visits per user., Discussion: ME had a limited but positive impact on use of mental health services by low income Americans, although it may also have increased racial/ethnic disparities.

Objective: To estimate the average incremental health care expenditures associated with habitual long and short duration of sleep as compared with healthy/average sleep duration., Data Source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data (2012; N=6476) linked to the 2010-2011 National Health Interview Survey., Study Design: Annual differences in health care expenditures are estimated for habitual long and short duration sleepers as compared with average duration sleepers using 2-part logit generalized linear regression models., Principal Findings: Habitual short duration sleepers reported an additional $1400 in total unadjusted health care expenditures compared to people with average sleep duration (P<0.01). After adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic factors, and health behavior factors, this difference remained significant with an additional $1278 in total health care expenditures over average duration sleepers (P<0.05). Long duration sleepers reported even higher, $2994 additional health care expenditures over average duration sleepers. This difference in health care expenditures remained significantly high ($1500, P<0.01) in the adjusted model. Expenditure differences are more pronounced for inpatient hospitalization, office expenses, prescription expenses, and home health care expenditures., Conclusions: Habitual short and long sleep duration is associated with higher health care expenditures, which is consistent with the association between unhealthy sleep duration and poorer health outcomes.

Background: In 2003, national disability-associated health care expenditures (DAHE) were $398 billion. Updated estimates will improve our understanding of current DAHE., Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate national DAHE for the US adult population and analyze spending by insurance and service categories and to assess changes in spending over the past decade., Research Design: Data from the 2013-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were used to estimate DAHE for noninstitutionalized adults. These estimates were reconciled with National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA) data and adjusted to 2017 medical prices. Expenditures for institutionalized adults were added from NHEA data., Measures: National DAHE in total, by insurance and service categories, and percentage of total expenditures associated with disability., Results: DAHE in 2015 were $868 billion (at 2017 prices), representing 36% of total national health care spending (up from 27% in 2003). DAHE per person with disability increased from $13,395 in 2003 to $17,431 in 2015, whereas nondisability per-person spending remained constant (about $6700). Public insurers paid 69% of DAHE. Medicare paid the largest portion ($324.7 billion), and Medicaid DAHE were $277.2 billion. More than half (54%) of all Medicare expenditures and 72% of all Medicaid expenditures were associated with disability., Conclusions: The share of health care expenditures associated with disability has increased substantially over the past decade. The high proportion of DAHE paid by public insurers reinforces the importance of public programs designed to improve health care for people with disabilities and emphasizes the need for evaluating programs and health services available to this vulnerable population.

Objectives: Identification and outcomes in patients with sepsis have improved over the years, but little data are available in patients with trauma who develop sepsis. We aimed to examine the cost and epidemiology of sepsis in patients hospitalized after trauma., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Patients: National Inpatient Sample., Interventions: Sepsis was identified between 2012 and 2016 using implicit and explicit International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision codes. Analyses were stratified by injury severity score greater than or equal to 15. Annual trends were modeled using generalized linear models. Survey-adjusted logistic regression was used to compare the odds for in-hospital mortality, and the average marginal effects were calculated to compare the cost of hospitalization with and without sepsis., Measurements and Main Results: There were 320,450 (SE = 3,642) traumatic injury discharges from U.S. hospitals with sepsis between 2012 and 2016, representing 6.0% (95% CI, 5.9-6.0%) of the total trauma population (n = 5,329,714; SE = 47,447). In-hospital mortality associated with sepsis after trauma did not change over the study period (p > 0.40). In adjusted analysis, severe (injury severity score ≥ 15) and nonsevere injured septic patients had an odds ratio of 1.39 (95% CI, 1.31-1.47) and 4.32 (95% CI, 4.06-4.59) for in-hospital mortality, respectively. The adjusted marginal cost for sepsis compared with nonsepsis was $16,646 (95% CI, $16,294-$16,997), and it was greater than the marginal cost for severe injury compared with nonsevere injury $8,851 (95% CI, $8,366-$8,796)., Conclusions: While national trends for sepsis mortality have improved over the years, our analysis of National Inpatient Sample did not support this trend in the trauma population. The odds risk for death after sepsis and the cost of care remained high regardless of severity of injury. More rigor is needed in tracking sepsis after trauma and evaluating the effectiveness of hospital mandates and policies to improve sepsis care in patients after trauma.

Background: Although one third of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, there is limited information about the cost of treating Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) in these settings., Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate direct health care costs attributable to ADRD among older adults within a large MA plan., Research Design: A retrospective cohort design was used to estimate direct total, outpatient, inpatient, ambulatory pharmacy, and nursing home costs for 3 years before and after an incident ADRD diagnosis for 927 individuals diagnosed with ADRD relative to a sex-matched and birth year-matched set of 2945 controls., Subject: Adults 65 years of age and older enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Washington MA plan and the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Study, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of ADRD and brain aging., Measures: Data on monthly health service use obtained from health system electronic medical records for the period 1992-2012., Results: Total monthly health care costs for individuals with ADRD are statistically greater (P<0.05) than controls beginning in the third month before diagnosis and remain significantly greater through the eighth month following diagnosis. Greater total health costs are driven by significantly (P<0.05) greater nursing home costs among individuals diagnosed with ADRD beginning in the third month prediagnosis. Although total costs were no longer significantly greater at 8 months following diagnosis, nursing home costs remained higher for the people with dementia through the 3 years postdiagnosis we analyzed., Conclusion: Greater total health care costs among individuals with ADRD are primarily driven by nursing home costs.

Objectives: To evaluate the economic implications of payments based on Chinese diagnosis-related groups for critically ill patients in ICUs in terms of total hospital expenditure, out-of-pocket payments, and length of stay., Design: A pre-post comparison of patient cohorts admitted to ICUs 1 year before and 1 year after Chinese diagnosis-related group reform was undertaken. Demographic characteristics, clinical data, and medical expenditures were collated from a health insurance database., Setting: Twenty-two public hospitals in Sanming, Southern China., Patients: All patients admitted to ICUs from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018., Intervention: The implementation of Chinese diagnosis-related group-based payments on January 1, 2018., Measurements and Main Results: Economic variables (total expenditures, out-of-pocket payments, and length of stay) were calculated for each patient from the day of hospital admission to the day of hospital discharge. Adjusted mean out-of-pocket payment estimates were 29.46% (p < 0.001) lower following reform. Adjusted mean out-of-pocket payments fell by 41.32% for patients in neonatal ICU, whereas there were no significant decreases in out-of-pocket payments for patients in PICU and adult ICU. Furthermore, adjusted mean out-of-pocket payments decreased by 55.74% in secondary hospitals, but there was no significant change in tertiary hospitals after Chinese diagnosis-related group reform. No significant changes were found in total expenditures and length of stay., Conclusions: Chinese diagnosis-related group policy provided an opportunity for critically ill patients in ICUs to achieve at least short-term financial benefits in reducing out-of-pocket payments, without affecting the total expenditures and length of stay. Chinese diagnosis-related group-based payment significantly relieved financial burdens for patients with lower illness severities, such as patients in neonatal ICU. The results of this study can offer significant insights for policymakers in reducing the financial burden on critically ill patients, both in China and in other countries with similar systems.

Medication adherence plays an important role in disease management, especially for diabetes. The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of demographic characteristics on medication nonadherence and the impacts of nonadherence on both health status and medical expenses for diabetic patients in Taiwan.A total of 1 million diabetes mellitus patients were randomly selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2004. All records with missing values and those for participants under 18 years of age were then deleted. Because many patients had multiple clinical visit records, all records within the same calendar year were summarized into 1 single record for each person. This pre-processing resulted in 14,602 total patients with a combined 73,010 records over the course of 5 years. Generalized estimating equation models were then constructed to investigate the effects of demographic characteristics on medication nonadherence and the effects of nonadherence on patient health status and medical expenses. The demographic characteristics examined for each patient include gender, age, residential area, and socioeconomic status.Our analysis of how demographic variables impacted nonadherence revealed that elderly patients exhibited better overall medication adherence, but that male patients exhibited poorer medication adherence than female patients. Next, our analysis of how nonadherence impacted health status revealed that patients who exhibited medication nonadherence had poorer health status than patients with proper medication adherence. Finally, our analysis of how nonadherence impacted medical expenses revealed that patients who exhibited medication nonadherence incurred more medical expenses than those who exhibited proper medication adherence.This study's empirical results corroborate the general relationships expressed in the current literature regarding medication nonadherence. However, this study's results were statistically more reliable and revealed the precise impact on health status in terms of the Charlson comorbidity index and increased annual medical expenses. This indicates the need to improve patient attitudes toward medication adherence, which can have substantial effects both medically and economically.

Background: Health insurance reimbursement structure has evolved, with patients becoming increasingly responsible for their health care costs through rising out-of-pocket expenses. High levels of cost sharing can lead to delays in access to care, influence treatment decisions, and cause financial distress for patients., Methods: Patients undergoing the most common outpatient reconstructive plastic surgery operations were identified using Truven MarketScan databases from 2009 to 2017. Total cost of the surgery paid to the insurer and out-of-pocket expenses, including deductible, copayment, and coinsurance, were calculated. Multivariable generalized linear modeling with log link and gamma distribution was used to predict adjusted total and out-of-pocket expenses. All costs were inflation-adjusted to 2017 dollars., Results: The authors evaluated 3,165,913 outpatient plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures between 2009 and 2017. From 2009 to 2017, total costs had a significant increase of 25 percent, and out-of-pocket expenses had a significant increase of 54 percent. Using generalized linear modeling, procedures performed in outpatient hospitals conferred an additional $1999 in total costs (95 percent CI, $1978 to $2020) and $259 in out-of-pocket expenses (95 percent CI, $254 to $264) compared with office procedures. Ambulatory surgical center procedures conferred an additional $1698 in total costs (95 percent CI, $1677 to $1718) and $279 in out-of-pocket expenses (95 percent CI, $273 to $285) compared with office procedures., Conclusions: For outpatient plastic surgery procedures, out-of-pocket expenses are increasing at a faster rate than total costs, which may have implications for access to care and timing of surgery. Providers should realize the increasing burden of out-of-pocket expenses and the effect of surgical location on patients' costs when possible.

Objective: To describe patterns of postoperative visits reported for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients., Background: Payment for most surgical procedures bundles postoperative visits within a global period of either 10 or 90 days after a procedure. There is concern that payments for some procedures are excessive because the number of postoperative visits provided is less than the number of postoperative visits used to help determine payment. To obtain data to inform this concern, Medicare required select surgeons to report on their postoperative visits starting July 1, 2017., Methods: We analyzed Medicare FFS claims data from surgeons who billed Medicare for 1 or more of the 293 common procedure codes between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 in the 9 states where surgeons were required to report postoperative visits. We examined the share of procedures with any reported postoperative visits and the proportion of expected postoperative visits provided. To address concerns about underreporting, we also examined procedures performed by a subset of surgeons actively reporting postoperative visits., Results: We linked 663,681 procedures to 422,432 postoperative visits. The share of procedures with any postoperative visits was higher for procedures with 90-day global periods (70.1%) than for procedures with 10-day global periods (3.7%). The proportions of expected postoperative visits provided for 90-day global and 10-day global periods were 0.37 and 0.04 respectively. Among surgeons actively reporting postoperative visits, the proportions of expected postoperative visits provided were modestly higher (procedures with 90-day global periods=0.46 and 10-day global periods=0.16)., Conclusions: The proportion of expected postoperative visits that were provided is low. These results support the need for a reassessment of payment for surgical procedures.

Objective: To define and test "Textbook Outcome" (TO)-a composite measure for healthcare quality-among Medicare patients undergoing hepatopancreatic resections. Hospital variation in TO and Medicare payments were analyzed., Background: Composite measures of quality may be superior to individual measures for the analysis of hospital performance., Methods: The Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) Inpatient Files were reviewed to identify Medicare patients who underwent pancreatic and liver procedures between 2013 and 2015. TO was defined as: no postoperative surgical complications, no prolonged length of hospital stay, no readmission ≤ 90 days after discharge, and no postoperative mortality ≤ 90 days after surgery. Medicare payments were compared among patients who achieved TO versus patients who did not. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate patient factors associated with TO. A nomogram to predict probability of TO was developed and validated., Results: TO was achieved in 44% (n = 5919) of 13,467 patients undergoing hepatopancreatic surgery. Adjusted TO rates at the hospital level varied from 11.1% to 69.6% for pancreatic procedures and from 16.6% to 78.7% for liver procedures. Prolonged length of hospital stay represented the major obstacle to achieve TO. Average Medicare payments were substantially higher among patients who did not have a TO. Factors associated with TO on multivariable analysis were age, sex, Charlson comorbidity score, previous hospital admissions, procedure type, and surgical approach (all P > 0.05)., Conclusions: Less than one-half of Medicare patients achieved a TO following hepatopancreatic procedures with a wide variation in the rates of TO among hospitals. There was a discrepancy in Medicare payments for patients who achieved a TO versus patients who did not. TO could be useful for the public reporting of patient level hospital performance and hospital variation.

To investigate the healthcare expenditures and length of stay (LOS) of sepsis-related hospitalizations in Taiwan.This is a retrospective claim database study. Data were obtained from the two-million-sample longitudinal health and welfare database (LHWD). Adult patients hospitalized with sepsis between 2010 and 2014 were identified by International Classification of Diseases 9th Edition Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes, and these patients were divided into three levels of sepsis severity. The amount and distribution of their total medical expenditures were investigated.In total, 62,517 patients with 97,790 sepsis-related hospitalizations were included in the present study. It was found that ward fees and medicines comprised the largest component of expenses for sepsis-related hospitalizations. In addition, our study results indicated that the median sepsis-related hospitalization cost was 66.4 thousand New Taiwan Dollar (NT dollars) in 2014, and a significant temporal change was found between 2010 and 2014. The median LOS in a hospital and in an intensive care unit were 11 and 7 days, respectively. Both expenditures and LOS were found to increase with sepsis severity.This study provides an updated and better understanding of the costs and LOS of sepsis-related hospitalizations in Taiwan. It was found that ward fees and medicine fees were the major components of hospital costs.

Background: Health care costs and utilization for those with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) have been shown to be higher than the general population., Objective: To investigate the services that contribute to higher costs and utilization among noninstitutionalized children with an IDD., Design: Matched case-control secondary analysis of the 2000-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Pediatric (age 0-21) patients with an IDD were matched to non-IDD subjects. Health care utilization and costs were evaluated with zero-inflated negative binomial regressions and generalized linear models, respectively., Measures: Outcome measures included high-acuity health care utilization [ie, emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions], and cost outcomes for total spending, ED use, hospitalization, medications, office visits, home health, and physical therapy., Results: There was no statistical difference in utilization of EDs among the 2 groups though subjects with an IDD showed more hospitalizations than their matched cohort (incidence rate ratios=1.63, P=0.00). Total health care spending was higher among patients with an IDD (coefficient=$5831, P=0.00). Pediatric spending was higher in all measures except for ED. The biggest discrepancies in spending were seen in home health (coefficient=$2558, P=0.00) and outpatient visits (coefficient=$1180, P=0.00)., Conclusions: Pediatric patients with an IDD had higher health care spending and utilization than non-IDD subjects in all categories except for ED use.

Research Objective: Affordable access to medications is important to Medicare enrollees in long-term care (LTC), yet, it is unknown if prescription drug coverage is universal and adequate to meet their high medication needs., Study Design: We assessed enrollment in prescription drug coverage, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and medication use in a nationwide LTC database of prescription-level, resident-level, and facility-level data for the period 2011-2013. Inadequate drug coverage was defined as ≥50% medications paid for OOP. Risk-adjusted generalized estimation equations models were estimated to identify predictors of inadequate drug coverage and total prescription fills., Population Studied: A nationwide sample of 332,087 Medicare enrollees observed >100 days in LTC., Principal Findings: We found Medicare Part D was the main source of drug coverage (82.4%), followed by private insurance (8.5%), and Veterans Administration (0.2%). No drug coverage could be detected for 8.9% (n=29,378) who paid for all of their medications OOP or received only temporary drug payment assistance. Inadequate drug coverage was identified in another 2721 persons. LTC Medicare enrollees without drug coverage or who had private insurance received significantly fewer prescriptions than if they had been enrolled in Medicare Part D., Conclusion: A substantial proportion of Medicare enrollees in LTC have inadequate or no drug coverage and are receiving less medication than indicated by their health needs., Policy Implications: Medicare Part D is an important policy for ensuring affordable access to medications in LTC. However, expansions are needed to increase enrollment and decrease inadequate drug coverage.

Objectives: The number of critical care survivors is growing, but their long-term outcomes and resource use are poorly characterized. Estimating the cost-utility of critical care is necessary to ensure reasonable use of resources. The objective of this study was to analyze the long-term resource use and costs, and to estimate the cost-utility, of critical care., Design: Prospective observational study., Setting: Seventeen ICUs providing critical care to 85% of the Finnish adult population., Patients: Adult patients admitted to any of 17 Finnish ICUs from September 2011 to February 2012, enrolled in the Finnish Acute Kidney Injury (FINNAKI) study, and matched hospitalized controls from the same time period., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: We primarily assessed total 3-year healthcare costs per quality-adjusted life-years at 3 years. We also estimated predicted life-time quality-adjusted life-years and described resource use and costs. The costing year was 2016. Of 2,869 patients, 1,839 (64.1%) survived the 3-year follow-up period. During the first year, 1,290 of 2,212 (58.3%) index episode survivors were rehospitalized. Median (interquartile range) 3-year cumulative costs per patient were $49,200 ($30,000-$85,700). ICU costs constituted 21.4% of the total costs during the 3-year follow-up. Compared with matched hospital controls, costs of the critically ill remained higher throughout the follow-up. Estimated total mean (95% CI) 3-year costs per 3-year quality-adjusted life-years were $46,000 ($44,700-$48,500) and per predicted life-time quality-adjusted life-years $8,460 ($8,060-8,870). Three-year costs per 3-year quality-adjusted life-years were $61,100 ($57,900-$64,400) for those with an estimated risk of in-hospital death exceeding 15% (based on the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II)., Conclusions: Healthcare resource use was substantial after critical care and remained higher compared with matched hospital controls. Estimated cost-utility of critical care in Finland was of high value.

Purpose of Review: Food allergy remains a disease of global public health significance well known to impact social, emotional, and financial well being. This review aims to summarize the existing literature focused on the direct, indirect, and intangible costs of food allergy at the household and healthcare system levels, and begin to discuss how emerging treatment and prevention strategies may be leveraged to comprehensively care for the food allergic population with the efficient use of health resources., Recent Findings: Food allergy imposes significant costs to multiple stakeholders and largely impact families at the household level. Recent studies elucidate the need to balance the household management of food allergy with the efficient use of health resources. Overall, it remains critical that safe foods and medications remain affordable while further exploring the cost-effectiveness of early introduction, emerging food allergy therapies, and the wider use of stock epinephrine to adequately meet the public health needs of the food-allergic community., Summary: Better understanding how the cost of food allergy impacts populations will help to inform more progressive policies aimed at lessening socioeconomic disparities and ultimately improve quality of life for children and adults with food allergies.

The economic burden of diabetes has increased over time with disease severity. Previous publications investigating the effects of physical activity (PA) on medical costs have made use of small sample sizes. We assessed the relationship between PA and 1-year medical expenditure among Taiwanese patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Data were recruited from three governmental databases, including the 2012 adult preventive health service database. Participants were grouped as inactive (no exercise), insufficiently active (exercise < 150 minutes/week), and sufficiently active (exercise >150 minutes/week) individuals. Patients were stratified according to age and Charlson score. Multivariate linear regression models were used to determine β-coefficients and their P values.Overall, 218,960 individuals were identified with diabetes. The prevalence of the disease was 13.1% among sufficiently active, 35% among insufficiently active, and 51.9% among physically inactive adults. In general, patients who had exercise >150 minutes/week had lower health care spending (i.e., US$ 755.83) followed by those who had less than 150 minutes/week (US$ 880.08) when compared with inactive patients (P < .0001). Moreover, health care costs derived from outpatient or inpatient care were lower for sufficiently active than inactive participants (P < .0001).Compared with being sedentary, PA was associated with lower health care costs of Taiwanese adults with diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To estimate changes in costs and utilization trends for disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) from 2011 to 2017 in the US Medicaid program., Methods: Using quarterly Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data from 2011 to 2017, we summarize trends in spending, utilization, and costs per prescription for 15 multiple sclerosis (MS) DMTs including brand and generic versions of glatiramer acetate. We use interrupted time series regression to estimate the effect of market entry of generic glatiramer acetate on cost per prescription of other self-administered DMTs., Results: Gross annual expenditures on MS DMTs increased from $453 million to $1.32 billion between 2011 and 2017 within the Medicaid program. Increased spending was primarily driven by increases in per prescription costs, which doubled during the study period. Although total utilization was stable, product specific utilization shifted from injectable to oral DMTs. However, throughout the study, the plurality of utilization was glatiramer acetate. The introduction of generic glatiramer acetate in Q2 of 2015 was associated with an immediate increase of $441 (95% confidence interval [CI] $184-$697; p < 0.001) in the cost per prescription of branded glatiramer acetate followed by a gradual $52 per prescription reduction (95% CI -$86 to -$18) over time. There were minimal changes in the costs for the other DMTs., Conclusions: Spending on MS DMTs in the Medicaid program have more than doubled over the last 7 years primarily as a function of higher costs per prescription. Introduction of a generic glatiramer acetate product in 2015 had nominal effects on overall price trajectories and utilization within the class., (© 2020 American Academy of Neurology.)