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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects approximately 7% of Americans. COPD impacts productivity and forces 1 in 5 employees ages 45-65 years old to retire prematurely. Our objective was to quantify the direct and indirect costs of COPD in an employed population in the United States. A retrospective analysis using Thomson Reuters MarketScan commercial claims and Health and Productivity (HPM) databases (2000-2007) identified employees (ages 18-65 years) with ≥ 1 COPD medical claim, ≥ 6 month insurance eligibility pre and ≥ 12 months post diagnosis, and ≥ 12 months HPM data post diagnosis. COPD subjects were matched to non-COPD subjects using propensity scores to create a comparison group with similar characteristics. Differences in medical and pharmacy utilization and productivity (absence and short-term disability [STD] days) were examined using negative binomial regression, and cost differences using Heckman selection models. A total of 27,612 COPD patients were matched in a 1:1 ratio to 825,884 non-COPD patients; 80% were ages 36-65 years, and 59% were male. COPD employees had about twice the rate of emergency department visits and hospitalizations compared to non-COPD employees (P<0.0001). The rate of absence and STD days was approximately 1.5 times higher (P<0.0001) compared to non-COPD employees. Yearly direct and indirect expenditures were higher ($3609 and $909, respectively; P<0.0001) for COPD versus non-COPD employees. Excess utilization and associated costs of COPD to employers was quantified. By understanding these costs, employers may evaluate disease management programs and treatment to improve outcomes for employees with COPD. Improved treatment options may reduce the direct and indirect costs of COPD.

At a minimum, high-quality health care is care that does not harm patients, particularly through medical errors. The first step in reducing the large number of harmful medical errors that occur today is to analyze them. We used an actuarial approach to measure the frequency and costs of measurable US medical errors, identified through medical claims data. This method focuses on the analysis of comparative rates of illness, using mathematical models to assess the risk of occurrence and to project costs to the total population. We estimate that the annual cost of measurable medical errors that harm patients was $17.1 billion in 2008. Pressure ulcers were the most common measurable medical error, followed by postoperative infections and by postlaminectomy syndrome, a condition characterized by persistent pain following back surgery. A total of ten types of errors account for more than two-thirds of the total cost of errors, and these errors should be the first targets of prevention efforts.

Background: Physical inactivity is associated with the increased risk of many chronic diseases. Such risks decrease with increases in physical activity. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of population-wide strategies to promote physical activity in adults and followed disease incidence over a lifetime., Methods: A lifetime cost-effectiveness analysis from a societal perspective was conducted to estimate the costs, health gains, and cost-effectiveness (dollars per quality-adjusted life year [QALY] gained, relative to no intervention) of seven public health interventions to promote physical activity in a simulated cohort of healthy U.S. adults stratified by age, gender, and physical activity level. Interventions exemplifying each of four strategies strongly recommended by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services were evaluated: community-wide campaigns, individually adapted health behavior change, community social-support interventions, and the creation of or enhanced access to physical activity information and opportunities. Each intervention was compared to a no-intervention alternative. A systematic review of disease burden by physical activity status was used to assess the relative risk of five diseases (coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer) across a spectrum of physical activity levels. Other data were obtained from clinical trials, population-based surveys, and other published literature., Results: Cost-effectiveness ratios ranged between $14,000 and $69,000 per QALY gained, relative to no intervention. Results were sensitive to intervention-related costs and effect size., Conclusions: All of the evaluated physical activity interventions appeared to reduce disease incidence, to be cost-effective, and--compared with other well-accepted preventive strategies--to offer good value for money. The results support using any of the seven evaluated interventions as part of public health efforts to promote physical activity.