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Shepherd-Banigan M, Miller KEM, Hastings SN, Schleiden LJ, Thorpe JM. Use of high cost care among Veterans with comorbid mental illness and Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282071. [PMID: 37172031 PMCID: PMC10180599 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) leads to frequent emergency department (ED) and inpatient use. Mental health symptoms among persons with AD/ADRD increases cognitive and functional disabilities and could contribute to these high rates of intensive health care use. The objective of this paper is to assess the relationship of mental illness on 12-month patterns in hospitalization and ED use among Veterans aged 65 and over with a new AD/ADRD diagnosis. METHODS We used an existing dataset of administrative electronic health record data of Veterans with AD/ADRD from the US Veterans Health Administration linked with Medicare claims data from 2011-2015. We use multivariable logistic regression to examine the association between no pre-existing mental illness, pre-existing mental illness (e.g., major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder), and pre-existing severe mental illness-or SMI-(e.g., bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder with psychosis, or schizophrenia) and 12- month ED and hospitalization use and readmissions among Veterans who had an initial hospitalization visit. We estimated predicted probabilities, differential effect, and associated 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS In our sample, 1.4% had SMI and 11% had non-SMI mental illness. The unadjusted percentage with inpatient and ED use was higher among Veterans with SMI (34% and 26%, respectively) and Veterans with non-SMI mental illness (20%, 16%) compared with Veterans without pre-existing mental illness (12%, 9%). Compared to individuals with no pre-existing mental illness, having a pre-existing mental illness (1.27 percentage points, 95% CI: 0.76, 1.78) and a pre-existing SMI (7.17 percentage points, 95% CI: 5.66, 8.69) were both associated with an increased likelihood of ED use. The same pattern was observed for any inpatient use (mental illness 2.18, 95% CI: 1.59, 2.77; SMI 9.91, 95% CI: 8.21, 11.61). Only pre-existing SMI was associated higher hospitalization readmission. DISCUSSION Pre-existing mental illness increases use of high cost, intensive health care and this association is higher of more severe mental health conditions. We also show that pre-existing mental illness exerts a unique influence, above and beyond other comorbidities, such as diabetes, on ED and inpatient visits. More needs to be done to increase recognition of the unique risks of this combination of health conditions and encourage strategies to address them. Developing, testing, and implementing comprehensive strategies that address the intersection of ADRD and mental illness is promising approach that requires more focused attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Shepherd-Banigan
- Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Hopkins Economics of Alzheimer's Disease and Services Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Katherine E M Miller
- Hopkins Economics of Alzheimer's Disease and Services Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - S Nicole Hastings
- Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Center for the Study of Aging, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Loren J Schleiden
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Joshua M Thorpe
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
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Brown MT, Mutambudzi M. Psychiatric history and later-life cognitive change: effect modification by sex, race and ethnicity. Aging Ment Health 2022:1-8. [PMID: 36016466 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2116398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Objective: We explored associations between psychiatric history and cognitive functioning, and differences by sex and race/ethnicity (SRE) in 20,155 Health and Retirement Study (1995-2014) participants aged 65 or older.Methods: Multi-level growth curve models examined cognition scores and their trajectories over time by SRE.Results: A history of psychiatric, emotional, or nervous problems was significantly related to cognition scores and rates of decline. Hispanic and Black participants had significantly lower cognition scores at age 75 and steeper rates of decline than White females, and Black race and the Hispanic race/ethnicity-sex interaction erased the protective effects of being female.Conclusions: Future research should include specific psychiatric diagnoses. Population level findings as reported here, along with aggregate findings from similar studies, can inform interventions and policies regarding support for populations that are vulnerable to mental illness and to subsequent cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria T Brown
- School of Social Work and Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Miriam Mutambudzi
- Department of Public Health, Falk College, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
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