BACKGROUND: As of 2012, approximately 4.3 million Americans experience some form of cardiac arrhythmia (CA). Assessment of economic burden and healthcare resource use on the overall CA population is limited. OBJECTIVES: To assess healthcare expenditure and disparities in healthcare resource use in patients with all forms of CA in the US. METHODS: Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were analyzed between 2004 and 2009. Patients aged≥18 years with any form of CA (identified via International Classification of Disorders Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] codes) were included. Primary independent variables included age, gender, race/ethnicity, and pharmacotherapy use. Outcomes of interest included total annual healthcare and prescription expenditures (inflation adjusted to 2011), use of anti-arrhythmic agents associated with CA, and inpatient, outpatient, or emergency room visits. Generalized linear models were used to assess the disparities across patient subgroups related to the outcomes. RESULTS: Annually, 5,750,440 individuals experienced CA in the US. Total direct annual healthcare cost of CA summed up to $US67.4 billion. Non-Hispanic whites and older adult patients had higher expenditures and use of healthcare resources (p<0.05). Female patients had significantly higher prescribed medication expenditures and a lower proportion of inpatient and emergency room visits related to arrhythmia (p<0.05). Patients taking anti-arrhythmic agents had significantly higher expenditure and a lower proportion of emergency department visits related to arrhythmia (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CA represents a substantial economic burden in the US, especially for the older adult population. Patients other than non-Hispanic whites may not have adequate access to healthcare treatment for arrhythmia.
BACKGROUND: As of 2012, approximately 4.3 million Americans experience some form of cardiac arrhythmia (CA). Assessment of economic burden and healthcare resource use on the overall CA population is limited. OBJECTIVES: To assess healthcare expenditure and disparities in healthcare resource use in patients with all forms of CA in the US. METHODS: Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were analyzed between 2004 and 2009. Patients aged≥18 years with any form of CA (identified via International Classification of Disorders Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] codes) were included. Primary independent variables included age, gender, race/ethnicity, and pharmacotherapy use. Outcomes of interest included total annual healthcare and prescription expenditures (inflation adjusted to 2011), use of anti-arrhythmic agents associated with CA, and inpatient, outpatient, or emergency room visits. Generalized linear models were used to assess the disparities across patient subgroups related to the outcomes. RESULTS: Annually, 5,750,440 individuals experienced CA in the US. Total direct annual healthcare cost of CA summed up to $US67.4 billion. Non-Hispanic whites and older adult patients had higher expenditures and use of healthcare resources (p<0.05). Female patients had significantly higher prescribed medication expenditures and a lower proportion of inpatient and emergency room visits related to arrhythmia (p<0.05). Patients taking anti-arrhythmic agents had significantly higher expenditure and a lower proportion of emergency department visits related to arrhythmia (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CA represents a substantial economic burden in the US, especially for the older adult population. Patients other than non-Hispanic whites may not have adequate access to healthcare treatment for arrhythmia.
Authors: Xiaowei Zhao; Xiaoyong Fu; Colin Blumenthal; Yves T Wang; Michael W Jenkins; Christopher Snyder; Mauricio Arruda; Andrew M Rollins Journal: Biomed Opt Express Date: 2018-11-20 Impact factor: 3.732
Authors: Karan R Chadda; Ibrahim T Fazmin; Shiraz Ahmad; Haseeb Valli; Charlotte E Edling; Christopher L-H Huang; Kamalan Jeevaratnam Journal: Sleep Date: 2018-09-01 Impact factor: 5.849