Narcolepsy is associated with an increased risk of HLA-related autoimmune diseases: Evidence from a nationwide healthcare system data in South Korea

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To determine the incidence rate of narcolepsy in South Korea and closely examine the relationship between narcolepsy, which is believed to be an autoimmune response, and other systemic autoimmune diseases.

METHODS

We examined data from the South Korean nationwide health insurance claims database from 2010 to 2019. Our study included patients with narcolepsy as well as age- and sex-matched controls without narcolepsy. We estimated the incidence of narcolepsy and the odds ratio of narcolepsy and associated autoimmune comorbidities in South Korea.

RESULTS

We identified 8710 patients with narcolepsy (59.8% men and 40.2% women). The incidence of narcolepsy was 0.05%. Patients with narcolepsy were at a significantly high risk of ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjögren's syndrome, which diseases are known to be related to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Narcolepsy is closely related to systemic autoimmune diseases, particularly those related to HLA genes.

Comparison of claims from high-drug cost beneficiaries in Ontario, Canada, and Australia: a cross-sectional analysis

BACKGROUND

Globally, payers are struggling with rising drug costs, driven primarily by the increasing number of high-cost medications used by their beneficiaries. We aimed to compare the annual drug spending on claims from high-drug cost beneficiaries in the province of Ontario, Canada, and Australia.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of public drug claims in Ontario and Australia from fiscal years 2006 to 2017. We identified the total government costs for prescribed medications per beneficiary. During the study period, public drug coverage in Ontario was provided to all residents 65 years of age and older, those with financial needs, and those living in long-term care or in need of home care. Australia maintains a publicly funded, universal system covering all citizens. Based on annual spending, we divided beneficiaries into 4 cost groups, representing the top 1%, top 5%, top 10% and the remaining 90%. We reported the following for each cost group: medication cost and proportion of total government spending, number of unique drugs dispensed per person and the top 10 most costly drug classes.

RESULTS

In Ontario and Australia, the top 1% of beneficiaries accounted for a large and increasing proportion of all government drug costs, growing from 12% ($405 946 197) to 24% ($1 345 977 248) in Ontario, and from 14% ($86 565 586) to 34% ($416 097 984) in Australia between 2006 and 2017. The most costly drug classes among high-drug cost beneficiaries in both jurisdictions were biologics and hepatitis C treatments.

INTERPRETATION

In both Ontario and Australia, a small number of beneficiaries accounted for a large proportion of public drug spending, driven largely by the use of expensive medications. The current development of potential national pharmacare strategies in Canada must optimize the use of high-cost drugs to ensure the sustainability of the program.

MIHARI project, a preceding study of MID-NET, adverse event detection database of Ministry Health of Japan-Validation study of the signal detection of adverse events of drugs using export data from EMR and medical claim data

We studied the effectiveness of the direct data collection from electronic medical records (EMR) when it is used for monitoring adverse drug events and also detection of already known adverse events. In this study, medical claim data and SS-MIX2 standardized storage data were used to identify four diseases (diabetes, dyslipidemia, hyperthyroidism, and acute renal failure) and the validity of the outcome definitions was evaluated by calculating positive predictive values (PPV). The maximum positive predictive value (PPV) for diabetes based on medical claim data was 40.7% and that based on prescription data from SS-MIX2 Standardized Storage was 44.7%. The PPV for dyslipidemia was 50% or higher under either of the conditions. The PPV for hyperthyroidism based on disease name data alone was 20–30%, but exceeded 60% when prescription data was included in the evaluation. Acute renal failure was evaluated using information from medical records in addition to the data. The PPV for acute renal failure based on the data of disease names and laboratory examination results was slightly higher at 53.7% and increased to 80–90% when patients who previously had a high serum creatinine (Cre) level were excluded. When defining a disease, it is important to include the condition specific to the disease; furthermore, it is very useful if laboratory examination results are also included. Therefore, the inclusion of laboratory examination results in the definitions, as in the present study, was considered very useful for the analysis of multi-center SS-MIX2 standardized storage data.

Actual state of "triple therapy" for heart failure patients in eight regions of Japan: An analysis of a nationwide medical claims database

Background

This study aimed to collect data on “triple therapy” for heart failure (HF) with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (or receptor blockers), β-blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in all eight regions of Japan and clarify the reason for the selection of this therapeutic approach.

Methods and results

We used data from April 2017 to March 2018 from the Medical Data Vision database (380 facilities) to analyze factors impacting triple therapy for HF. Among patients who were hospitalized for HF during the study period, 51,933 patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent further analyses. A reference value of 20.45% from Kanto was used to compare the eight Japanese regions.

From the patient cohort, 10,006 (19.27%) patients receiving triple therapy were identified.

The highest and lowest rates of triple therapy were in Chugoku (21.90%) and Shikoku (14.27%), respectively, suggesting regional differences in the use of triple therapy at discharge for patients with HF (P < 0.001). Regression analysis revealed a decrease in the administration of triple therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease (odds ratio [OR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43–0.48]; P < 0.001), those aged 75 years and older (OR, 0.46, 95% CI: 0.44–0.49; P < 0.001), those from Shikoku (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.60–0.80; P < 0.001), those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.68–0.84; P < 0.001), those with anemia (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.62–0.98; P = 0.034), and those from Tohoku (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.75–0.92; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Future efforts to rectify the regional variance in drug therapy conforming to the guidelines for the treatment of acute and chronic HF will help to extend the healthy lifespans of patients with HF. Further clarification is required to determine instances where triple therapy should be avoided based on patient factors, and appropriate countermeasures should be identified.

The incidence of prostate cancer is increased in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: Results from the national insurance claim data 2007-2014

ABSTRACT

Some studies have demonstrated an increased risk of prostate cancer in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the relationship is unclear and the results are conflicting. This study aims to investigate associations between OSA and prostate cancer using the Korea National Health Insurance Service database.A total of 152,801 men (≥ 20 years of age) newly diagnosed with OSA between 2007 and 2014 were included. A control group of 764,005 subjects was selected using propensity score matching by age and sex. The mean follow-up time was 4.6 years (range 2.3-6.9). The primary endpoint was newly diagnosed prostate cancer. The prostate cancer hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) was calculated for patients with OSA and compared to the control group.The incidence of prostate cancer among patients with OSA was significantly higher than that in controls (1.34 [1.23-1.49]). In particular, the incidence of prostate cancer was highest in patients aged 40-65 years (1.51 [1.32-1.72]).This study provides additional evidence for a link between OSA and prostate cancer.

Nationwide claims database analysis of treatment patterns, costs and survival of Japanese patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Limited data are available regarding treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), treatment costs and clinical outcomes for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in Japan. This retrospective database study analyzed the Medical Data Vision database for DLBCL patients who received treatment during the identification period from October 1 2008 to December 31 2017. Among 6,965 eligible DLBCL patients, 5,541 patients (79.6%) received first-line (1L) rituximab (R)-based therapy, and then were gradually switched to chemotherapy without R in subsequent lines of therapy. In each treatment regimen, 1L treatment cost was the highest among all lines of therapy. The major cost drivers i.e. total direct medical costs until death or censoring across all regimens and lines of therapy were from the 1L regimen and inpatient costs. During the follow-up period, DLBCL patients who received a 1L R-CHOP regimen achieved the highest survival rate and longest time-to-next-treatment, with a relatively low mean treatment cost due to lower inpatient healthcare resource utilization and fewer lines of therapy compared to other 1L regimens. Our retrospective analysis of clinical practices in Japanese DLBCL patients demonstrated that 1L treatment and inpatient costs were major cost contributors and that the use of 1L R-CHOP was associated with better clinical outcomes at a relatively low mean treatment cost.

Prevalence and incidence of type 1 diabetes in Ireland: a retrospective cross-sectional study using a national pharmacy claims data from 2016

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence and incidence of type 1 diabetes in the Irish population using a national pharmacy claims database in the absence of a national diabetes register.

DESIGN

National, population-based, retrospective, cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Community care with data available through the Health Service Executive Pharmacy Claims Reimbursement Scheme from 2011 to 2016.

PARTICIPANTS

Individuals with type 1 diabetes were identified by coprescription of insulin and glucometer test strips without any prolonged course (>12 months) of oral hypoglycaemic agents prior to commencing insulin. Those claiming prescriptions for long-acting insulin only, without any prandial insulin, were excluded from the analysis. Incidence was estimated based on the first claim for insulin in 2016, with no insulin use in the preceding 12 months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Prevalence of type 1 diabetes in children (<18 years) and adults (≥18 years); incidence of type 1 diabetes in children (≤14 years) and adolescents and adults (>14 years).

RESULTS

There were 20 081 prevalent cases of type 1 diabetes in 2016. The crude prevalence was 0.42% (95% CI 0.42% to 0.43%). Most prevalent cases (n=17 053, 85%) were in adults with a prevalence of 0.48% (95% CI 0.47% to 0.48%). There were 1527 new cases of type 1 diabetes in 2016, giving an incidence rate of 32 per 100 000 population/year (95% CI 30.5 to 33.7). There was a significant positive linear trend for age, for prevalence (p<0.0001) and incidence (p=0.014). The prevalence and incidence were 1.2-fold and 1.3-fold higher in men than women, respectively. Significant variations in prevalence (p<0.0001) and incidence (p<0.001) between the different geographical regions were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides epidemiological estimates of type 1 diabetes across age groups in Ireland, with the majority of prevalent cases in adults. Establishing a national diabetes register is essential to enable updated epidemiological estimates of diabetes and for planning of services in Ireland.

Systemic overuse of health care in a commercially insured US population, 2010-2015

BACKGROUND

Overuse is a leading contributor to the high cost of health care in the United States. Overuse harms patients and is a definitive waste of resources. The Johns Hopkins Overuse Index (JHOI) is a normalized measure of systemic health care services overuse, generated from claims data, that has been used to describe overuse in Medicare beneficiaries and to understand drivers of overuse. We aimed to adapt the JHOI for application to a commercially insured US population, to examine geographic variation in systemic overuse in this population, and to analyze trends over time to inform whether systemic overuse is an enduring problem.

METHODS

We analyzed commercial insurance claims from 18 to 64 year old beneficiaries. We calculated a semiannual JHOI for each of the 375 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and 47 rural regions of the US. We generated maps to examine geographic variation and then analyzed each region's change in their JHOI quintile from January 2011 to June 2015.

RESULTS

The JHOI varied markedly across the US. Across the country, rural regions tended to have less systemic overuse than their MSA counterparts (p < 0.01). Regional systemic overuse is positively correlated from one time period to the next (p < 0.001). Between 2011 and 2015, 53.7% (N = 226) of regions remained in the same quintile of the JHOI. Eighty of these regions had a persistently high or persistently low JHOI throughout study duration.

CONCLUSIONS

The systemic overuse of health care resources is an enduring, regional problem. Areas identified as having a persistently high rate of systemic overuse merit further investigation to understand drivers and potential points of intervention.

Producing comparable cost and quality results from all-payer claims databases

OBJECTIVES

To describe how all-payer claims databases (APCDs) can be used for multistate analysis, evaluating the feasibility of overcoming the common barrier of a lack of standardization across data sets to produce comparable cost and quality results for 4 states. This study is part of a larger project to better understand the cost and quality of healthcare services across delivery organizations.

STUDY DESIGN

Descriptive account of the process followed to produce healthcare quality and cost measures across and within 4 regional APCDs.

METHODS

Partners from Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Utah standardized the calculations for a set of cost and quality measures using 2014 commercial claims data collected in each state. This work required a detailed understanding of the data sets, collaborative relationships with each other and local partners, and broad standardization. Partners standardized rules for including payers, data set elements, measure specifications, SAS code, and adjustments for population differences in age and gender.

RESULTS

This study resulted in the development of a Uniform Data Structure file format that can be scaled across populations, measures, and research dimensions to provide a consistent method to produce comparable findings.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates the feasibility of using state-based claims data sets and standardized processes to develop comparable healthcare performance measures that inform state, regional, and organizational healthcare policy.

Antibiotic prescription among outpatients in a prefecture of Japan, 2012-2013: a retrospective claims database study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate oral antibiotic prescribing patterns and identify factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions, with the aim of guiding future interventions to reduce inappropriate prescribing.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Database of public health insurance claims in Kumamoto prefecture (Japan).

PARTICIPANTS

Beneficiaries of the national or late elders' health insurance system between April 2012 and March 2013.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Of the 7 770 481 outpatient visits, 682 822 had a code for antibiotics (860 antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 population). Third-generation cephalosporins (35%), macrolides (32%) and quinolones (21%) were the most frequently prescribed. Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs), including viral upper respiratory infections (URI) (22%), pharyngitis (18%), bronchitis (11%) and sinusitis (10%) were the most frequently diagnosed for antibiotic prescribing, followed by gastrointestinal (9%), urinary tract (8%) and skin, cutaneous and mucosal infections (5%). Antibiotic prescribing rates for viral URI, pharyngitis, bronchitis, sinusitis and gastrointestinal infections were 35%, 54%, 53%, 57% and 30%, respectively. In multivariable analysis for ARTIs and gastrointestinal infections, patient age (10-19 years especially), patient sex (male) and facility scale (free-standing clinics or small-scale hospital-based clinics) were associated with increased antibiotic prescribing.

CONCLUSIONS

Broad-spectrum antibiotics constituted 88% of oral outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. Approximately 70% of antibiotics were prescribed for ARTIs and gastroenteritis with modest benefit from antibiotic treatment. The quality of antibiotic prescribing needs to be improved. Antimicrobial stewardship interventions should target ARTIs and gastroenteritis, as well as young patients and small-scale institutions.

An examination of the concordance between self-reported collisions, driver records, and insurance claims in older drivers

Background Previous studies of older drivers have found that there are discrepancies between their retrospective self-reports of collisions and the official jurisdictional record. Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine how older drivers self-report collisions in comparison to what was recorded in their official driver abstract as well as insurance claims, in a prospective study. Methods Participants (n = 125, age ≥ 70 years) in this study were part of the University of Manitoba site of the Candrive longitudinal study of older drivers. During the operation of the Manitoba site (2009 to 2013), participants were periodically asked to report on any collisions (at-fault or not) in which they were involved, while they were enrolled in the study. In addition, driver records (abstracts and insurance claims) from the provincial licensing agency and public insurer (Manitoba Pubic Insurance; MPI) were provided annually. Results In total there were 101 separate instances of collisions (regardless of at-fault status), whether self-reported, or recorded by MPI. There were 20 at-fault collisions that were recorded on the driver abstract. Eighteen of these collisions were self-reported by participants. In total, our participants were involved in 70 insurance claims (42 at-fault) - 61 of these were self-reported to study staff. In addition, there were 31 collisions that were self-reported to study staff, that were not reported to MPI. Conclusions In this prospective study, older drivers were diligent in reporting collisions in which they were involved. While some collisions were not reported that ultimately became a claim or part of their driver abstract, the biggest discrepancy was in the collisions that were reported to study staff but that were not reported to authorities.

Underreporting of Fall Injuries of Older Adults: Implications for Wellness Visit Fall Risk Screening

OBJECTIVES

To compare the accuracy of and factors affecting the accuracy of self-reported fall-related injuries (SFRIs) with those of administratively obtained FRIs (AFRIs).

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study SETTING: United States PARTICIPANTS: Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older (N=47,215).

MEASUREMENTS

We used 24-month self-report recall data from 2000-2012 Health and Retirement Study data to identify SFRIs and linked inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory Medicare data to identify AFRIs. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed, with AFRIs defined using the University of California at Los Angeles/RAND algorithm as the criterion standard. Logistic regression models were used to identify sociodemographic and health predictors of sensitivity.

RESULTS

Overall sensitivity and specificity were 28% and 92%. Sensitivity was greater for the oldest adults (38%), women (34%), those with more functional limitations (47%), and those with a prior fall (38%). In adjusted results, several participant factors (being female, being white, poor functional status, depression, prior falls) were modestly associated with better sensitivity and specificity. Injury severity (requiring hospital care) most substantively improved SFRI sensitivity (73%).

CONCLUSION

An overwhelming 72% of individuals who received Medicare-reimbursed health care for FRIs failed to report a fall injury when asked. Future efforts to address underreporting in primary care of nonwhite and healthier older adults are critical to improve preventive efforts. Redesigned questions-for example, that address stigma of attributing injury to falling-may improve sensitivity.

A risk-model for hospital mortality among patients with severe sepsis or septic shock based on German national administrative claims data

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a major cause of preventable deaths in hospitals. Feasible and valid methods for comparing quality of sepsis care between hospitals are needed. The aim of this study was to develop a risk-adjustment model suitable for comparing sepsis-related mortality between German hospitals.

METHODS

We developed a risk-model using national German claims data. Since these data are available with a time-lag of 1.5 years only, the stability of the model across time was investigated. The model was derived from inpatient cases with severe sepsis or septic shock treated in 2013 using logistic regression with backward selection and generalized estimating equations to correct for clustering. It was validated among cases treated in 2015. Finally, the model development was repeated in 2015. To investigate secular changes, the risk-adjusted trajectory of mortality across the years 2010-2015 was analyzed.

RESULTS

The 2013 deviation sample consisted of 113,750 cases; the 2015 validation sample consisted of 134,851 cases. The model developed in 2013 showed good validity regarding discrimination (AUC = 0.74), calibration (observed mortality in 1st and 10th risk-decile: 11%-78%), and fit (R2 = 0.16). Validity remained stable when the model was applied to 2015 (AUC = 0.74, 1st and 10th risk-decile: 10%-77%, R2 = 0.17). There was no indication of overfitting of the model. The final model developed in year 2015 contained 40 risk-factors. Between 2010 and 2015 hospital mortality in sepsis decreased from 48% to 42%. Adjusted for risk-factors the trajectory of decrease was still significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk-model shows good predictive validity and stability across time. The model is suitable to be used as an external algorithm for comparing risk-adjusted sepsis mortality among German hospitals or regions based on administrative claims data, but secular changes need to be taken into account when interpreting risk-adjusted mortality.

Autoimmune comorbidities in patients with metastatic melanoma: a retrospective analysis of us claims data

BACKGROUND

Immunotherapies have advanced the treatment of metastatic melanoma; however, they are associated with immune-related toxicities. Patients with pre-existing autoimmune comorbidities are commonly excluded from clinical trials investigating immunotherapies in metastatic melanoma. Since information on pre-existing autoimmune comorbidities in "real-world" patients with newly diagnosed metastatic melanoma is limited, we sought to estimate the prevalence of autoimmune comorbidities and its change over time.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a large US claims database, MarketScan®, from 2004 to 2014. Records of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic or non-metastatic melanoma and of general population were analyzed. Autoimmune comorbidities were defined as presence of autoimmune disorders, which were obtained from the list of diseases at the American Autoimmune-Related Diseases Association web portal ( www.aarda.org ). The prevalence of pre-existing autoimmune comorbidities and its change over the 11-year period were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between clinical and demographic factors and pre-existing autoimmune comorbidities in patients with metastatic melanoma.

RESULTS

This study assessed the prevalence and change of prevalence over a period of 11 years of 147 autoimmune comorbidities. Among 12,028 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic melanoma, the prevalence rate of pre-existing autoimmune comorbidities increased from 17.1% in 2004 to 28.3% in 2014 (P < 0.001). The prevalence rates of autoimmune comorbidities increased from 11.7% in 2004 to 19.8% in 2014 in patients with non-metastatic melanoma and 7.9% in 2004 to 9.2% in 2014 in the general population. In addition, patients with bone or gastrointestinal melanoma metastases, those with more comorbid diseases, or female patients, were found to have a higher risk of autoimmune comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of pre-existing autoimmune comorbidities in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic melanoma was high, and increased over 11 years. In comparison, a lower prevalence of autoimmune comorbidities was seen in patients with newly diagnosed non-metastatic melanoma and in the general population. Increases in prevalence for these population groups were also observed over 11 years. Impact of autoimmune comorbidities on treatment decisions in patients with metastatic melanoma should be explored.

Prevalence of Psoriasis in Children and Adolescents in the United States: A Claims-Based Analysis

IMPORTANCE

While psoriasis (Ps) is mainly characterized as an adult disease, it can also develop during childhood. However, prevalence estimates of pediatric psoriasis in the United States (US) are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the 2015 annual prevalence of Ps and moderate-to-severe Ps in pediatric individuals in the US.

DESIGN

This is a retrospective study based on a large administrative insurance claims database in the US.

SETTING

Data were extracted from the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters database, which covers over 60 million individuals with employer-provided health insurance across the US.

PARTICIPANTS

Over 4.3 million of individuals continuously enrolled in their healthcare plan in 2015 and under 18 years of age were included in the study. Intervention(s) for Clinical Trials or Exposure(s) for Observational Studies: Not applicable. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Ps was defined based on medical claims with a diagnosis of Ps (ICD-9-CM: 696.1); moderate-to-severe Ps was defined based on medical or pharmacy claims for a systemic treatment (biologic, conventional systemic, or phototherapy) for Ps. Overall and age- and gender-stratified prevalence was estimated for both Ps and moderate-to-severe Ps.

RESULTS

The prevalence of Ps was estimated at 128 cases per 100,000 individuals (95% CI: 124-131), that of moderate-to-severe Ps at 16 cases per 100,000 individuals (95% CI: 15-17) in 2015. For both Ps and moderate-to-severe Ps, prevalence estimates were numerically higher in females than in males (146 per 100,000 vs. 110 per 100,000 and 17 per 100,000 vs. 15 per 100,000) and increased with age, ranging from 30 per 100,000 in the 0-3 year old group to 205 per 100,000 in the 12-17 year old group.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

This study provides robust estimates of the prevalence of pediatric Ps that can inform decisions pertaining to the management of pediatric patients with Ps. J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(2):187-194.

Increased Prevalence of Cancer in Adult Patients With Psoriasis in the United States: A Claims Based Analysis

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis (Ps) is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated skin disease that has been identified as a risk factor for various conditions including neoplasms.

OBJECTIVE

To compare prevalence of cancer between Ps and Ps-free patients.

METHODS

Adult patients continuously enrolled for ≥12 months (≥1 month in 2014) were selected from a large United States (US) claims database (Q1:2010-Q4:2014) and classified as Ps patients (≥2 Ps diagnoses; International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision, [ICD-9] code: 696.1x) and Ps-free patients (no Ps diagnosis). Patients were exactly matched (1:1) based on age, gender, state of residence, and insurance plan type. Prevalence of cancer was compared between cohorts over patients' last 12 months of continuous healthcare plan enrollment using logistic-regression models.

RESULTS

A total of 179,066 pairs of Ps and Ps-free patients were selected. Median age was 54.0 years, 51.7% were females. Prevalence of cancer was higher among Ps patients for any type of neoplasms (OR [95% confidence interval (CI)]=1.86 [1.83; 1.89]), malignant neoplasms (OR [95% CI]=1.53 [1.49;1.57]), as well as malignant skin neoplasms (OR [95% CI]=1.87 [1.79; 1.95]), lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues (OR [95% CI]=1.70 [1.57;1.84]), genital (OR [95% CI]=1.33 [1.26;1.41]), breast (OR [95% CI]=1.32 [1.24;1.40]), digestive organs and peritoneum (OR [95% CI]=1.24 [1.13;1.35]), urinary organs (OR [95% CI]=1.49 [1.36;1.64]), respiratory and intrathoracic organs (OR [95% CI]=1.30 [1.17;1.44]), and metastatic cancer (OR [95% CI]=1.14 [1.06;1.24]), all P less than 0.01.

LIMITATIONS

Impact of Ps severity could not be assessed.

CONCLUSION

Ps patients had a higher prevalence of cancer than Ps-free patients. J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(2):180-186.

Vismodegib Use in Clinical Practice: Analysis of a United States Medical Claims Database

BACKGROUND

Information is limited on the use of vismodegib for treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma beyond the setting of clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the treatment patterns and characteristics of patients treated with vismodegib in clinical practice.

METHODS

A longitudinal, retrospective cohort study was undertaken using data from a US commercial insurance claims (Truven Health Analytics MarketScan) database. Eligible patients were ≥18 years of age, with ≥1 claim for vismodegib from January 2012 to December 2015.

RESULTS

A total of 321 patients were included in the analysis. Approximately 20% of the patients took 1 or more treatment breaks of ≥ 30 days each before treatment discontinuation. Median duration of vismodegib treatment before the first treatment break and discontinuation was 4.0 and 5.5 months, respectively. Older age ( > 65 years) and absence of Gorlin syndrome were associated with increased risk for treatment interruption or discontinuation. Overall, 47% and 36% of patients underwent surgery or radiotherapy within the 6 months before and after vismodegib initiation, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Real-world evidence indicates that vismodegib is being used in clinical practice as part of combination treatment strategies. J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(2):143-148.

Comparative Effectiveness of Uterine Leiomyoma Procedures Using a Large Insurance Claims Database

OBJECTIVE

To compare risk of reintervention, long-term clinical outcomes, and health care utilization among women who have bulk symptoms from leiomyoma and who underwent the following procedures: hysterectomy, myomectomy, uterine artery embolization, and magnetic resonance-guided, focused ultrasound surgery.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of administrative claims from a large U.S. commercial insurance database. Women aged 18-54 years undergoing any of the previously mentioned leiomyoma procedures between 2000 and 2013 were included. We assessed the following outcome measures: risk of reintervention between uterine-sparing procedures, risk of other surgical procedures or complications of the index procedure, 5-year health care utilization, pregnancy rates, and reproductive outcomes. Propensity score matching along with Cox proportional hazard models were used to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics between study cohorts.

RESULTS

Among the 135,522 study-eligible women with mean follow-up of 3.4 years, hysterectomy was the most common first-line procedural therapy (111,324 [82.2%]) followed by myomectomy (19,965 [14.7%]), uterine artery embolization (4,186 [3.1%]) and magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (47 [0.0003%]). Small but statistically significant differences were noted for uterine artery embolization and myomectomy in reintervention rate (17.1% compared with 15.0%, P=.02), subsequent hysterectomy rates (13.2% compared with 11.1%, P<.01) and subsequent complications from index procedures (18.1% compared with 24.6%, P<.001). During follow-up, women undergoing myomectomy had lower leiomyoma-related health care utilization, but had higher all-cause outpatient services. Pregnancy rates were 7.5% and 2.2% among myomectomy and uterine artery embolization cohorts, respectively (P<.001) with both cohorts having similar rates of adverse reproductive outcome (69.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the overwhelming majority of women having leiomyoma with bulk symptoms underwent hysterectomy as their first treatment procedure, among those undergoing uterine-sparing index procedures, approximately one seventh had a reintervention, and one tenth ended up undergoing hysterectomy during follow-up. Compared with women undergoing myomectomy, women undergoing uterine artery embolization had a higher risk of reintervention, lower risk of subsequent complications, but similar rate of adverse reproductive outcomes.

Classification of common human diseases derived from shared genetic and environmental determinants

In this study, we used insurance claims for over one-third of the entire US population to create a subset of 128,989 families (481,657 unique individuals). We then used these data to (i) estimate the heritability and familial environmental patterns of 149 diseases and (ii) infer the genetic and environmental correlations for disease pairs from a set of 29 complex diseases. The majority (52 of 65) of our study's heritability estimates matched earlier reports, and 84 of our estimates appear to have been obtained for the first time. We used correlation matrices to compute environmental and genetic disease classifications and corresponding reliability measures. Among unexpected observations, we found that migraine, typically classified as a disease of the central nervous system, appeared to be most genetically similar to irritable bowel syndrome and most environmentally similar to cystitis and urethritis, all of which are inflammatory diseases.

Transitioning From Medicaid Disability Coverage to Long-Term Medicare Coverage: The Case of People Living With HIV/AIDS in California

Medicaid can serve as a bridge to Medicare coverage for the long-term disabled with sufficient covered work experience. We perform multinomial logistic regression on 2007-2010 Medicare and Medicaid claims data to examine transitions to Medicare for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in California who had Medicaid coverage in 2007. We find only 16% had obtained Medicare coverage by 2010. African-Americans, women, individuals with schizophrenia diagnoses, alcohol or substance abuse disorders, and any physical comorbidity were significantly less likely than others to obtain Medicare (p < 0.001). This study contributes new information on the impact of eligibility requirements for Medicare long-term disability insurance for PLWHA. About one-third of PLWHA under age 65 are covered by Medicaid. Many PLWHA get stuck in Medicaid because their disability prevents them from obtaining the additional employment experience needed to qualify for Medicare.

Diabetic Macular Edema Diagnosis and Treatment in the Real World: An Analysis of Medicare Claims Data (2008 to 2010)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To characterize vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor treatment patterns in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) using a Medicare Standard Analytic Files Part B or Outpatient Claims database to understand treatment frequency and DME persistence.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis of treatment patterns for patients diagnosed with DME receiving their first anti-VEGF injection was performed.

RESULTS

The average number of anti-VEGF injection claims for DME per patient rose from 3.1 to 4.6 per year (mean: 4.2). Within 1 year of diagnosis, 46% of patients received their final DME diagnosis (mean: 1.9 anti-VEGF claims), and 65% of patients received their final anti-VEGF treatment for DME. Patients who received treatment for DME through years 2 and 3 submitted a mean of four and 7.2 anti-VEGF claims, respectively.

CONCLUSION

VEGF inhibitor treatment was less frequent than in landmark trials, but did resolve DME in a proportion of patients.

Zero Lift Programs in Small Rural Hospitals in Washington State

In Washington State, health care workers have the highest rate of compensable back injuries. Washington Hospital Services, a self-insured workers' compensation program, implemented a zero lift program in 31 of its 38 hospitals. Zero lift was defined as replacing manual lifting, transferring, and re-positioning of patients with mechanical lifting or use of other patient assist devices. This program included two trusts, two pools of hospitals that self-insure workers' compensation. The pools are governed by elected boards of trustees from the pool memberships and regulated by the State Department of Labor and Industries. This pretest–posttest descriptive study compared patient-handling injury data prior to program implementation with those after program implementation. Patient-handling injury claims decreased by 43% in the participating hospitals from 2000 to 2004 (i.e., from 3.51 to 2.23). The time lost frequency rate decreased by 50% (i.e., from 1.91 to 1.03).

Seriousness of Traffic Accidents during Work and Commuting

This study examined the seriousness of traffic accidents that happened either on work errands or during commuting. The article was based on three independently gathered data sets, of which two were based on compensation claims to the insurance companies ( N = 2,050 and N = 17,108) and one on the interviews of victims ( N = 328). The traffic accidents at work led to a major injury or death more often than the commuting accidents. On the other hand, the work-related traffic accidents were less serious than the leisure-time traffic accidents. One explanation could be that heavy vehicles used during the working hours protected the drivers of these vehicles.

Impact of managed care on physicians' decisions to manipulate reimbursement rules: an explanatory model

Objective: To develop and test an explanatory model of the impact of managed care on physicians' decisions to manipulate reimbursement rules for patients.

Methods: A self-administered mailed questionnaire of a national random sample of 1124 practicing physicians in the USA. Structural equation modelling was used. The main outcome measure assessed whether or not physicians had manipulated reimbursement rules (such as exaggerated the severity of patients conditions, changed billing diagnoses, or reported signs or symptoms that the patients did not have) to help patients secure coverage for needed treatment or services.

Results: The response rate was 64% ( n = 720). Physicians' decisions to manipulate reimbursement rules for patients are directly driven not only by ethical beliefs about gaming the system but also by requests from patients, the perception of insufficient time to deliver care, and the proportion of Medicaid patients. Covert advocacy is also the indirect result of utilization review hassles, primary care specialty, and practice environment.

Conclusions: Managed care is not just a set of rules that physicians choose to follow or disobey, but an environment of competing pressures from patients, purchasers, and high workload. Reimbursement manipulation is a response to that environment, rather than simply a reflection of individual physicians' values.

Administrative Data Fail to Accurately Identify Cases of Healthcare-Associated Infection

Objective.

Some policy makers have embraced public reporting of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) as a strategy for improving patient safety and reducing healthcare costs. We compared the accuracy of 2 methods of identifying cases of HAI: review of administrative data and targeted active surveillance.

Design, Setting, and Participants.

A cross-sectional prospective study was performed during a 9-month period in 2004 at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a 418-bed academic pediatric hospital. “True HAI” cases were defined as those that met the definitions of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System and that were detected by a trained infection control professional on review of the medical record. We examined the sensitivity and the positive and negative predictive values of identifying HAI cases by review of administrative data and by targeted active surveillance.

Results.

We found similar sensitivities for identification of HAI cases by review of administrative data (61%) and by targeted active surveillance (76%). However, the positive predictive value of identifying HAI cases by review of administrative data was poor (20%), whereas that of targeted active surveillance was 100%.

Conclusions.

The positive predictive value of identifying HAI cases by targeted active surveillance is very high. Additional investigation is needed to define the optimal detection method for institutions that provide HAI data for comparative analysis.

Enhancing Lyme Disease Surveillance by Using Administrative Claims Data, Tennessee, USA

Lyme disease is underreported in the United States. We used insurance administrative claims data to determine the value of such data in enhancing case ascertainment in Tennessee during January 2011–June 2013. Although we identified ≈20% more cases of Lyme disease (5/year), the method was resource intensive and not sustainable in this low-incidence state.

Chronic Pancreatitis Correlates With Increased Risk of Cerebrovascular Disease: A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

The aim of this study is to explore whether there is a relationship between chronic pancreatitis and cerebrovascular disease in Taiwan. Using the claims data of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program, we identified 16,672 subjects aged 20 to 84 years with a new diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis from 2000 to 2010 as the chronic pancreatitis group. We randomly selected 65,877 subjects aged 20 to 84 years without chronic pancreatitis as the nonchronic pancreatitis group. Both groups were matched by sex, age, comorbidities, and the index year of diagnosing chronic pancreatitis. The incidence of cerebrovascular disease at the end of 2011 was measured. The multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to measure the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for cerebrovascular disease risk associated with chronic pancreatitis and other comorbidities. The overall incidence of cerebrovascular disease was 1.24-fold greater in the chronic pancreatitis group than that in the nonchronic pancreatitis group (14.2 vs. 11.5 per 1000 person-years, 95% CI = 1.19-1.30). After controlling for confounding factors, the adjusted HR of cerebrovascular disease was 1.27 (95% CI = 1.19-1.36) for the chronic pancreatitis group as compared with the nonchronic pancreatitis group. Woman (adjusted HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.31-1.51), age (every 1 year, HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.04-1.05), atrial fibrillation (adjusted HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.02-1.48), chronic kidney disease (adjusted HR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.31-1.67), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.16-1.40), diabetes mellitus (adjusted HR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.72-1.92), hypertension (adjusted HR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.56-1.76), and peripheral atherosclerosis (adjusted HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.06-1.51) were other factors significantly associated with cerebrovascular disease. Chronic pancreatitis is associated with increased hazard of subsequent cerebrovascular disease.

A retrospective audit of population service access trends for cleft lip and cleft palate patients

Population prevalence of orofacial clefts (OFCs) is well documented but the service utilisation patterns of these patients have received limited consideration.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse 10-year trends in the utilisation of subsidised OFC related services in Australia.

DESIGN

Retrospective audit of service utilisation and claims datasets.

METHODS

Using state-wide hospital admission data, all persons treated for Cleft Palate Only (CPO) and Cleft Lip Only (CLO) as their primary diagnosis from 1999 to 2009 in Western Australia were included in the data frameset. Additionally, National Medicare out-of-hospital claims from 2003 to 2013 were added to the data frameset. The socioeconomic status and accessibility to services were analysed as effectors of service-mix such as age group, gender and geographic location.

RESULTS

Of 721 in-hospital care episodes in Western Australia, 69% had CPO and 31% CLO as their principal diagnosis. Hospitalisations occurred from 0-69 years of age, but three quarters of all episodes occurred from 0-4 years of age (averaging one to two episodes per child). Whilst total hospitalisations were about four times higher for patients resident in high access areas, adjustment for population found the poorest 20% of the population having substantially lower hospital admission rates than the rest of the population. In Australia, claims for out-of-hospital cleft-related services varied between States. The overall pattern of out-of-hospital Medicare claims nationwide showed orthodontic services having the highest number of claims, followed by prosthodontic then oral surgical services.

CONCLUSION

These data provide a picture of diverse service utilisation and leads to some interesting conclusions about geographic and economic access as well as cost-shifts between State and Commonwealth.

Twenty-five years of professional liability in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus: the OMIC experience

PURPOSE

To summarize the claims statistics of the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company (OMIC) in the field of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus (POS).

METHODS

Internal OMIC case summaries and defense counsel case evaluations of all claims in the field of POS closed between December 1, 1988, and February 19, 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 140 claims were closed over the 25-year study period, of which 44 were closed with an indemnity payment. Claims related to strabismus and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were most common, and claims related to ROP resulted in the highest indemnity and expense payments. Issues related to follow-up represented the most significant risk factor among system-related claims.

CONCLUSIONS

Claims in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus were infrequent but associated with three times higher average indemnity payments relative to all claims paid by OMIC during the course of the study.

Dental treatment injuries in the Finnish Patient Insurance Centre in 2000-2011

Objective The Patient Insurance Centre in Finland reimburses patients who sustained injuries associated with medical and dental care without having to demonstrate malpractice. The aim was to analyse all dental injuries claimed through the Patient Insurance Centre over a 12-year period in order to identify factors affecting reimbursement of claims. Methods This study investigated all dental patient insurance claims in Finland during 2000-2011. The injury cases were grouped as (K00-K08) according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Calendar year, claimant's age and gender, dental disease group and health service sector were the explanatory factors and the outcome was the decision of a claim. Multiple logistic regression modelling was used in the statistical analyses. Results The total number of decisions related to dental claims at the PIC in 2000-2011 was 7662, of which women claimed a clear majority (72%). Diseases of the pulp and periapical tissues (K04) and dental caries (K02) were the major disease groups (both 29%). Of the claims 40% were eligible for reimbursement, 27% were classified as insignificant or unavoidable injuries and 32% were rejected for other reasons. The proportion of reimbursed claims declined during the period. Patients from the private sector were more likely to be eligible for compensation than were those from the public sector (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.71-2.10). Conclusions The number of dental patient insurance claims in Finland clearly rose, while the proportion of reimbursed claims declined. More claims received compensation in the private sector than in the public sector.

Sex Differences in the Treatment and Outcome of Korean Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Using the Korean National Health Insurance Claims Database

Evidence showing higher acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mortality rates among female compared with male inpatients has stimulated interest in whether this disparity is the result of biological factors or differences in the provision of healthcare services. We investigated the impact of sex on in-hospital mortality rates due to AMI, and evaluated the contribution of differences in the delivery of optimal medical services for AMI.We retrospectively constructed a dataset of 85,329 new patients admitted to Korean hospitals with AMI between 2003 and 2007 from the Korea National Health Insurance Claims Database. We used the claims database to provide information about treatment after admission or death for each patient.Proportionally more female than male patients aged 65 years or older had complications; however, proportionally fewer female patients underwent invasive procedures. Female patients had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than males (21.2% vs 14.6%, odds ratio [OR] 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52-1.64). The probability of death within 30 days after admission remained higher for females than males after adjusting for demographic characteristics and severity (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.13). After additionally adjusting for invasive and medical management, the probability of death within 30 days did not differ between males and females (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.08). A similar trend was revealed by an additional analysis of patients according to younger (<65 years) and older (≥65 years) age groups.The higher in-hospital mortality rates after AMI in Korean female patients was associated with a lower procedure rate. Evidence indicating that AMI symptoms differ according to sex highlights the need for health policies and public education programs that raise awareness of sex-related differences in early AMI symptoms to increase the incidence of appropriate early treatment in females.

Treatment Gap in the National Health-screening Program in Korea: Claim-based Follow-up of Statin Use for Sustained Hypercholesterolemia

Participation in a screening program by itself may not improve clinical outcomes. Treatment gaps in the program may limit its full benefit. We evaluated statin prescription rates for subjects with sustained hypercholesterolemia to assess the treatment gaps in the National Health Screening Program (NHSP) in Korea. A retrospective, random cohort was established among National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) members. Finally, we examined 465,499 individuals who attended the NHSP from 2003 to 2010 without any history of dyslipidemia, statin prescription, or hospitalization for cardiovascular events until the end of 2002. The subsequent statin prescription rates were identified from the NHIC medical service claim database from 2003 to 2011. Descriptive data and odds ratio from multivariate logistic analyses on statin prescription rates and the corresponding correlations were evaluated. The NHSP detected 114,085 (24.5%) cases of newly diagnosed hypercholesterolemia. However, only 8.6% of these received statin prescription within 6 months of diagnosis. For cases of sustained hypercholesterolemia determined in the next screening visit by the NHSP, the statin prescription rate increased, but only to 12.2%. Statin prescriptions were more common among females, older individuals, and hypertension or diabetes patients. Furthermore, the statin prescription rates had increased over the study period. The NHSP exhibited low statin prescription rate which has been improving. For the NHSP to be effective, it would be worthwhile to decrease the gap between the diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia and the following treatment.

Medication Adherence Based on Part D Claims for Patients With Heart Failure After Hospitalization (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study)

Medication nonadherence is a common precipitant of heart failure (HF) hospitalization and is associated with poor outcomes. Recent analyses of national data focus on long-term medication adherence. Little is known about adherence of patients with HF immediately after hospitalization. Hospitalized patients with HF were identified from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities data were linked to Medicare inpatient and part D claims from 2006 to 2009. Inclusion criteria were a chart-adjudicated diagnosis of acute decompensated or chronic HF; documentation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB), β blocker (BB), or diuretic prescription at discharge; and Medicare part D coverage. Proportion of ambulatory days covered was calculated for up to twelve 30-day periods after discharge. Adherence was defined as ≥80% proportion of ambulatory days covered. We identified 402 participants with Medicare part D: mean age 75, 30% men, and 41% black. Adherence at 1, 3, and 12 months was 70%, 61%, and 53% for ACEI/ARB; 76%, 66%, and 62% for BB; and 75%, 68%, and 59% for diuretic. Adherence to any single drug class was positively correlated with being adherent to other classes. Adherence varied by geographic site/race for ACEI/ARB and BB but not diuretics. In conclusion, despite having part D coverage, medication adherence after discharge for all 3 medication classes decreases over 2 to 4 months after discharge, followed by a plateau over the subsequent year. Interventions should focus on early and sustained adherence.

Comparison of self-reported and Medicare claims-identified acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease is often studied through patient self-report and administrative data. However, these 2 sources provide different information, and few studies have compared them.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We compared data from a longitudinal, nationally representative survey of older Americans with matched Medicare claims. Self-reported heart attack in the previous 2 years was compared with claims-identified acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and acute coronary syndrome. Among the 3.1% of respondents with self-reported heart attack, 32.8% had claims-identified AMI, 16.5% had non-AMI acute coronary syndrome, and 25.8% had other cardiac claims; 17.3% had no inpatient visits in the previous 2.5 years. Claims-identified AMIs were found in 1.4% of respondents; of these, 67.8% reported a heart attack. Self-reports were less likely among respondents >75 years of age (62.7% versus 74.6%; P=0.006), with less than high school education (61.6% versus 71.4%; P=0.015), with at least 1 limitation in activities of daily living (59.6% versus 74.7%; P=0.001), or below the 25th percentile of a word recall memory test (60.7% versus 71.3%; P=0.019). Both self-reported and claims-identified cardiac events were associated with increased mortality; the highest mortality was observed among those with claims-identified AMI who did not self-report (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-5.1) and among those with self-reported heart attack and claims-identified AMI (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-3.6) or non-AMI acute coronary syndrome (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-4.1).

CONCLUSIONS

There is considerable disagreement between self-reported and claims-identified events. Although self-reported heart attack may be inaccurate, it indicates increased risk of death, regardless of whether the self-report is confirmed by Medicare claims.

Higher rate of compensation after surgical treatment versus conservative treatment for acute Achilles tendon rupture

INTRODUCTION

Acute Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) can be treated either surgically or non-surgically. High-quality meta-analyses show a lower re-rupture rate, but a higher overall complication rate among surgically treated patients. No studies have evaluated the socio-economic impact of different complications. The aim of this study was to investigate: 1) the socio-economic impact of complications after ATR through the utilisation of the Danish Patient Insurance Association (DPIA) database, 2) correlations between treatment and complications.

METHODS

A total of 324 patients with ATR reported in the period from 1992 to 2010 in the DPIA database were identified and patient records were reviewed manually.

RESULTS

The compensation awarded for the 18-year period totalled 18,147,202 DKK with 41% of patient claims being recognised. Out of 180 surgically treated patients, 79 received a total compensation of 14,051,377 DKK, median 47,637 (range: 5,000-3,577,043). Of 114 non-surgically treated patients, 40 received 3,715,224 DKK in compensation, with a median amount of 35,788 DKK (range: 5,000-830,073).

CONCLUSION

Compensation after surgical treatment was 3.8 times higher than compensation after non-surgical treatment. It is noteworthy that 34.5% of patients had an overlooked diagnosis which underlines the importance of a correct primary diagnosis.

FUNDING

not relevant.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

not relevant.

Predicting number of hospitalization days based on health insurance claims data using bagged regression trees

Healthcare administrators worldwide are striving to both lower the cost of care whilst improving the quality of care given. Therefore, better clinical and administrative decision making is needed to improve these issues. Anticipating outcomes such as number of hospitalization days could contribute to addressing this problem. In this paper, a method was developed, using large-scale health insurance claims data, to predict the number of hospitalization days in a population. We utilized a regression decision tree algorithm, along with insurance claim data from 300,000 individuals over three years, to provide predictions of number of days in hospital in the third year, based on medical admissions and claims data from the first two years. Our method performs well in the general population. For the population aged 65 years and over, the predictive model significantly improves predictions over a baseline method (predicting a constant number of days for each patient), and achieved a specificity of 70.20% and sensitivity of 75.69% in classifying these subjects into two categories of 'no hospitalization' and 'at least one day in hospital'.

Rheumatoid arthritis prevalence in Quebec

BACKGROUND

To estimate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prevalence in Quebec using administrative health data, comparing across regions.

METHODS

Cases of RA were ascertained from physician billing and hospitalization data, 1992-2008. We used three case definitions: 1) ≥ 2 billing diagnoses, submitted by any physician, ≥ 2 months apart, but within 2 years; 2) ≥ 1 diagnosis, by a rheumatologist; 3) ≥1 hospitalization diagnosis (all based on ICD-9 code 714, and ICD-10 code M05). We combined data across these three case definitions, using Bayesian hierarchical latent class models to estimate RA prevalence, adjusting for the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of the data. We compared urban versus rural regions.

RESULTS

Using our case definitions and no adjustment for error, we defined 75,760 cases for an over-all RA prevalence of 9.9 per thousand residents. After adjusting for the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of our case definition algorithms, we estimated Quebec RA prevalence at 5.6 per 1000 females and 4.1 per 1000 males. The adjusted RA prevalence estimates for older females were the highest for any demographic group (9.9 cases per 1,000), and were similar in rural and urban regions. In younger males and females, and in older males, RA prevalence estimates were lower in rural versus urban areas.

CONCLUSIONS

Without adjustment for error inherent in administrative databases, RA prevalence in Quebec was approximately 1%, while adjusted estimates are approximately half that. The lower prevalence in rural areas, seen for most demographic groups, may suggest either true regional variations in RA risk, or under-ascertainment of cases in rural Quebec.

Geospatial analysis of statin adherence using pharmacy claims data in the state of Michigan

BACKGROUND

Research has demonstrated that variation in availability and utilization of health care resources exist on a range of scales, from regions of the United States, hospital referral regions, ZIP codes, and census tracts. Limited research using spatial analyses has found that variation in medication adherence exists across census tracts. Using spatial analysis, researchers may be able to effectively analyze geographically dispersed data to determine whether factors such as sociodemographics, local shared beliefs and attitudes, barriers to access such as availability of prescribers or pharmacies, or others are associated with variations in medication adherence in a defined geographic area. 

OBJECTIVES

To (a) demonstrate that medication adherence may be mapped across an entire state using medication possession ratios and (b) determine whether a geographic pattern of adherence to statins could be identified at the ZIP code level for members of a statewide insurer.

METHODS

This study utilized pharmacy claims data from a statewide insurer. Insured statin users were aged greater than 30 years, had at least 1 statin prescription, and were continuously enrolled for the observation year. Patient medication possession ratios (MPR) were derived, which were then aggregated as a mean MPR for each ZIP code. ZIP codes were categorized as higher (MPR  greater than 0.80) or lower (MPR  less than  0.80) adherence and mapped using Arc GIS, a platform for designing and managing solutions through the application of geographic knowledge. Analysis included a determination of whether the MPRs of higher and lower adherence ZIP codes were significantly different. Hot spot analysis was conducted to identify clustering of higher, midrange, and lower adherent ZIP codes using the GetisORD Gi* Statistic. This test provides z-scores and P values to indicate where features with either high or low values cluster spatially. MPRs for these 3 categories were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). 

RESULTS

Of 1,154 Michigan ZIP codes, 907 were represented by 212,783 insured statin users. The mean statin MPR by ZIP code was 0.79 ± 0.4. The mean MPR for higher adherent ZIP codes was 0.83 ± 0.03 and 0.76 ± 0.03 for lower adherent ZIP codes (P  less than  0.001). Significant clustering of ZIP codes by adherence levels was evident from the hot spot analysis. The mean MPR was 0.84 ± 0.04 for high adherence areas, 0.79 ± 0.03 for midrange areas, and 0.74 ± 0.04 for lower adherent areas (overall P  less than  0.001). 

CONCLUSIONS

Significant variations in adherence exist across ZIP codes at a state level. Future research is needed to determine locally relevant factors associated with this finding, which may be used to derive locally meaningful interventions.

Regional differences in treatment frequency and case-fatality rates in korean patients with acute myocardial infarction using the Korea national health insurance claims database: findings of a large retrospective cohort study

Issues regarding healthcare disparity continue to increase in connection with access to quality care for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), even though the case-fatality rate (CFR) continues to decrease. We explored regional variation in AMI CFRs and examined whether the variation was due to disparities in access to quality medical services for AMI patients. A dataset was constructed from the Korea National Health Insurance Claims Database to conduct a retrospective cohort study of 95,616 patients who were admitted to a hospital in Korea from 2003 to 2007 with AMI. Each patient was followed in the claims database for information about treatment after admission or death. The procedure rate decreased as the region went "down" from Seoul to the county level, whereas the AMI CFR increased as the county level as a function of proximity to the county level (30-day AMI CFRs: Seoul, 16.4%; metropolitan areas, 16.2%, cities; 18.8%, counties, 39.4%). Even after adjusting for covariates, an identical regional variation in the odds of patients receiving treatment services and dying was identified. After adjusting for invasive and medical management variables in addition to earlier covariates, the death risk in the counties remained statistically significantly higher than in Seoul; however, the degree of the difference decreased greatly and the significant differences in metropolitan areas and cities disappeared. Policy interventions are needed to increase access to quality AMI care in county-level local areas because regional differences in the AMI CFR are likely caused by differences in the performance of medical and invasive management among the regions of Korea. Additionally, a public education program to increase the awareness of early symptoms and the necessity of visiting the hospital early should be established as the first priority to improve the outcome of AMI patents, especially in county-level local areas.

Accuracy of the days' supply and the number of refills allowed recorded in Québec prescription claims databases for inhaled corticosteroids

OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES

Adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is a major issue in asthma. This study aimed to estimate the accuracy of the days' supply and number of refills allowed, variables recorded in Québec claims databases and used to estimate adherence, and to develop correction factors, if required. We hypothesised that the accuracy of the days' supply for ICS would be low whereas the accuracy of the number of refills allowed would be high.

SETTING

40 community pharmacies in Québec (Canada) and a medication registry.

PARTICIPANTS

We collected data for 1108 ICS original prescriptions stored in the 40 pharmacies (sample 1), and we obtained a second sample of 2676 ICS prescriptions selected from reMed, a medication registry (sample 2).

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES

We estimated the concordance of the days' supply and number of refills between Québec claims databases and the original prescription from sample 1. We developed a correction factor for the days' supply in sample 1 and validated it in sample 2. Analyses were stratified by age: 0-11 and 12-64 years.

RESULTS

In sample 1, the concordance for the days' supply was 39.6% (95% CI 37.6% to 41.6%) in those aged 0-11 years and 56% (54.9% to 57.2%) in those aged 12-64 years. The concordance increased to 59.4% (58.2% to 60.5%) in those aged 0-11 years and 74.2% (73.5% to 74.9%) in those aged 12-64 years after applying the correction factors in sample 2. The concordance for the refills allowed was 92.1% (91% to 93.1%) in those aged 0-11 years and 93.1% (92.5% to 93.7%) in those aged 12-64 years in sample 1.

CONCLUSIONS

The accuracy of the days' supply was moderate among those aged 0-11 years and substantial among those aged 12-64 years after applying the correction factors. The accuracy of the number of refills was almost perfect in both groups.

Geographic variation in use of laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer

PURPOSE

Emerging evidence supporting the use of laparoscopic colectomy in patients with cancer has led to dramatic increases in utilization. Though certain patient and hospital characteristics may be associated with the use of laparoscopy, the influence of geography is poorly understood.

METHODS

We used national Medicare claims data from 2009 and 2010 to examine geographic variation in utilization of laparoscopic colectomy for patients with colon cancer. Patients were assigned to hospital referral regions (HRRs) where they were treated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to generate age, sex, and race-adjusted rates of laparoscopic colectomy for each HRR. Patient quintiles of adjusted HRR utilization were used to evaluate differences in patient and hospital characteristics across low and high-utilizing HRRs.

RESULTS

A total of 93,786 patients underwent colon resections at 3,476 hospitals during the study period, of which 30,502 (32.5%) were performed laparoscopically. Differences in patient characteristics between the lowest and highest quintiles of HRR utilization were negligible, and there was no difference in the availability of laparoscopic technology. Yet adjusted rates of laparoscopic colectomy utilization varied from 0% to 66.8% across 306 HRRs in the United States.

CONCLUSION

There is wide geographic variation in the utilization of laparoscopic colectomy for Medicare patients with colon cancer, suggesting treatment location may substantially influence a patient's options for surgical approach. Future efforts to reduce variation will require increased dissemination of training techniques, novel opportunities for learning among surgeons, and enhanced educational resources for patients.

Insurance claims data: a possible solution for a national sports injury surveillance system? An evaluation of data information against ASIDD and consensus statements on sports injury surveillance

BACKGROUND

Before preventive actions can be suggested for sports injuries at the national level, a solid surveillance system is required in order to study their epidemiology, risk factors and mechanisms. There are guidelines for sports injury data collection and classifications in the literature for that purpose. In Sweden, 90% of all athletes (57/70 sports federations) are insured with the same insurance company and data from their database could be a foundation for studies on acute sports injuries at the national level.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the usefulness of sports injury insurance claims data in sports injury surveillance at the national level.

METHOD

A database with 27 947 injuries was exported to an Excel file. Access to the corresponding text files was also obtained. Data were reviewed on available information, missing information and dropouts. Comparison with ASIDD (Australian Sports Injury Data Dictionary) and existing consensus statements in the literature (football (soccer), rugby union, tennis, cricket and thoroughbred horse racing) was performed in a structured manner.

RESULT

Comparison with ASIDD showed that 93% of the suggested data items were present in the database to at least some extent. Compliance with the consensus statements was generally high (13/18). Almost all claims (83%) contained text information concerning the injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Relatively high-quality sports injury data can be obtained from a specific insurance company at the national level in Sweden. The database has the potential to be a solid base for research on acute sports injuries in different sports at the national level.

A population health approach to reducing observational intensity bias in health risk adjustment: cross sectional analysis of insurance claims

OBJECTIVE

To compare the performance of two new approaches to risk adjustment that are free of the influence of observational intensity with methods that depend on diagnoses listed in administrative databases.

SETTING

Administrative data from the US Medicare program for services provided in 2007 among 306 US hospital referral regions.

DESIGN

Cross sectional analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

20% sample of fee for service Medicare beneficiaries residing in one of 306 hospital referral regions in the United States in 2007 (n = 5,153,877).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The effect of health risk adjustment on age, sex, and race adjusted mortality and spending rates among hospital referral regions using four indices: the standard Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services--Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCC) index used by the US Medicare program (calculated from diagnoses listed in Medicare's administrative database); a visit corrected HCC index (to reduce the effects of observational intensity on frequency of diagnoses); a poverty index (based on US census); and a population health index (calculated using data on incidence of hip fractures and strokes, and responses from a population based annual survey of health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

RESULTS

Estimated variation in age, sex, and race adjusted mortality rates across hospital referral regions was reduced using the indices based on population health, poverty, and visit corrected HCC, but increased using the standard HCC index. Most of the residual variation in age, sex, and race adjusted mortality was explained (in terms of weighted R2) by the population health index: R2=0.65. The other indices explained less: R2=0.20 for the visit corrected HCC index; 0.19 for the poverty index, and 0.02 for the standard HCC index. The residual variation in age, sex, race, and price adjusted spending per capita across the 306 hospital referral regions explained by the indices (in terms of weighted R2) were 0.50 for the standard HCC index, 0.21 for the population health index, 0.12 for the poverty index, and 0.07 for the visit corrected HCC index, implying that only a modest amount of the variation in spending can be explained by factors most closely related to mortality. Further, once the HCC index is visit corrected it accounts for almost none of the residual variation in age, sex, and race adjusted spending.

CONCLUSION

Health risk adjustment using either the poverty index or the population health index performed substantially better in terms of explaining actual mortality than the indices that relied on diagnoses from administrative databases; the population health index explained the majority of residual variation in age, sex, and race adjusted mortality. Owing to the influence of observational intensity on diagnoses from administrative databases, the standard HCC index over-adjusts for regional differences in spending. Research to improve health risk adjustment methods should focus on developing measures of risk that do not depend on observation influenced diagnoses recorded in administrative databases.

A prospective, claims-based assessment of the risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer with liraglutide compared to other antidiabetic drugs

AIM

We evaluated the relationship between liraglutide and acute pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer in an ongoing post-marketing safety assessment programme.

METHODS

Initiators of liraglutide, exenatide, metformin, pioglitazone or groups containing initiators of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors or sulfonylureas were identified in a US commercial health insurance claims database (1 February 2010 to 31 March 2013) and followed for a median of 15 months. We estimated incidence rates (IR/100 000 person-years), rate ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of new insurance claims with diagnoses of primary inpatient acute pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer from Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

The IR for acute pancreatitis for liraglutide was 187.5 compared with 154.4 for all non-glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapies (adjusted RR 1.10; CI 0.81-1.49). The IR for pancreatic cancer was 19.9 for liraglutide compared with 33.0 for all non-GLP-1-based therapies (adjusted RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.26-1.60).

CONCLUSION

We did not observe excess risk of either outcome associated with liraglutide relative to individual or pooled comparator drugs.

Feasibility of road traffic injury surveillance integrating police and health insurance data sets in the Dominican Republic

OBJECTIVE

To assess the feasibility of semiautomated linking of road traffic injury (RTI) cases in different data sets in low- and middle-income countries.

METHODS

The study population consisted of RTI cases in the Dominican Republic in 2010 and were identified in police and health insurance data sets. After duplicates were removed and fatality reporting was corrected by using forensic data, police and health insurance RTI records were linked if they had the same province, collision date, and gender of RTI cases and similar age within five years. A multinomial logistic regression model assessed the likelihood of being in only one of the data sets.

RESULTS

One of five records was a duplicate, including 21.1% of 6 396 police and 16.2% of 6 178 insurance records. Health insurance data recorded 43 of 417 deaths as only injured. Capture - recapture estimated that both data sets recorded one of five RTI cases. Characteristics associated with increased likelihood (P < 0.05) of being only in the police data set were female gender [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.5], age ≥ 16 years (OR = 1.7), collision in the regions of Cibao Northeast (OR = 4.1) and Valdesia (OR = 6.4), day of occurrence from Tuesday to Saturday (ORs from 1.5 to 2.9), month of occurrence from October to December (ORs from 1.6 to 4.5), and occupant of four-wheeled vehicles (OR = 5.4) or trucks (OR = 5.3).

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent semiautomated linking procedures were feasible to ascertain the RTI burden in the Dominican Republic and could be improved by standardized coding of police and health insurance RTI reporting.

Population-based 5-year follow-up study in Taiwan of dementia and risk of stroke

Background

This study estimates the risk of stroke within 5 years of newly diagnosed dementia among elderly persons aged 65 and above. We examined the relationship between antipsychotic usage and development of stroke in patients with dementia.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide 5-year population-based study using data retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID2005) in Taiwan. The study cohort comprised 2243 patients with dementia aged ≥65 years who had at least one inpatient service claim or at least 2 ambulatory care claims, whereas the comparison cohort consisted of 6714 randomly selected subjects (3 for every dementia patient) and were matched with the study group according to sex, age, and index year. We further classified dementia patients into 2 groups based on their history of antipsychotic usage. A total of 1450 patients were classified into the antipsychotic usage group and the remaining 793 patients were classified into the non-antipsychotic usage group. Cox proportional-hazards regressions were performed to compute the 5-year stroke-free survival rates after adjusting for potentially confounding factors.

Results

The dementia patients have a 2-fold greater risk of developing stroke within 5 years of diagnosis compared to non-dementia age- and sex-matched subjects, after adjusting for other risk factors (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.58–3.08; P<.001). Antipsychotic usage among patients with dementia increases risk of stroke 1.17-fold compared to patients without antipsychotic treatment (95% CI = 1.01–1.40; P<.05).

Conclusions

Dementia may be an independent risk factor for stroke, and the use of antipsychotics may further increase the risk of stroke in dementia patients.