Dataset Information

Health Care Utilization and Direct Medical Costs of Tennis Elbow: A Population-Based Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Tennis elbow is commonly encountered by physicians, yet little is known about the cost of treating this condition.

Hypothesis

The largest cost associated with treating tennis elbow is procedural intervention.

Study design

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Level of evidence

Level 4.

Methods

This retrospective population-based study reviewed patients who were treated for new-onset tennis elbow between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2012. All patients were followed up through their medical and administrative records to identify health care encounters and interventions for tennis elbow. Unit costs for each health service/procedure were adjusted to nationally representative unit costs in 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars.

Results

In a cohort of 931 patients who had 2 or more clinical encounters for new-onset lateral epicondylosis during a 12-month period after initial diagnosis, 62% received a median of 3 physical therapy sessions (cost, $100/session) and 40% received a median of 1 steroid injection (cost, $82/injection). Only 4% of patients received surgical intervention with mean costs of $4000. The mean (median) total direct medical cost of services related to lateral epicondylosis for the entire cohort was $660 ($402) per patient over the 1-year period after diagnosis. Patients who continued to be treated conservatively between 6 and 12 months after diagnosis incurred relatively low median costs of $168 per patient.

Conclusion

In this cohort, a second encounter with a physician for tennis elbow was a strong predictor of increased treatment cost due to a higher likelihood of specialist referral, use of physical therapy, or treatment with steroid injection.

Clinical relevance

The majority of direct medical spending on tennis elbow occurs within the first 6 months of treatment, and relatively little expense occurs between 6 and 12 months after diagnosis unless a patient undergoes surgical intervention.

SUBMITTER: Sanders TL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4922520 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Health Care Utilization and Direct Medical Costs of Tennis Elbow: A Population-Based Study.

Sanders Thomas L TL Maradit Kremers Hilal H Bryan Andrew J AJ Ransom Jeanine E JE Morrey Bernard F BF

Sports health 20160523 4

<h4>Background</h4>Tennis elbow is commonly encountered by physicians, yet little is known about the cost of treating this condition.<h4>Hypothesis</h4>The largest cost associated with treating tennis elbow is procedural intervention.<h4>Study design</h4>Descriptive epidemiology study.<h4>Level of evidence</h4>Level 4.<h4>Methods</h4>This retrospective population-based study reviewed patients who were treated for new-onset tennis elbow between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2012. All patients ...[more]

PMID: 27215568

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Project description:BackgroundLyme disease is the most frequently reported vector borne infection in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control have estimated that approximately 10% to 20% of individuals may experience Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome - a set of symptoms including fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and neurocognitive complaints that persist after initial antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease. Little is known about the impact of Lyme disease or post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms (PTLDS) on health care costs and utilization in the United States.Objectives1) to examine the impact of Lyme disease on health care costs and utilization, 2) to understand the relationship between Lyme disease and the probability of developing PTLDS, 3) to understand how PTLDS may impact health care costs and utilization.MethodsThis study utilizes retrospective data on medical claims and member enrollment for persons aged 0-64 years who were enrolled in commercial health insurance plans in the United States between 2006-2010. 52,795 individuals treated for Lyme disease were compared to 263,975 matched controls with no evidence of Lyme disease exposure.ResultsLyme disease is associated with $2,968 higher total health care costs (95% CI: 2,807-3,128, p<.001) and 87% more outpatient visits (95% CI: 86%-89%, p<.001) over a 12-month period, and is associated with 4.77 times greater odds of having any PTLDS-related diagnosis, as compared to controls (95% CI: 4.67-4.87, p<.001). Among those with Lyme disease, having one or more PTLDS-related diagnosis is associated with $3,798 higher total health care costs (95% CI: 3,542-4,055, p<.001) and 66% more outpatient visits (95% CI: 64%-69%, p<.001) over a 12-month period, relative to those with no PTLDS-related diagnoses.ConclusionsLyme disease is associated with increased costs above what would be expected for an easy to treat infection. The presence of PTLDS-related diagnoses after treatment is associated with significant health care costs and utilization.

Project description:BACKGROUND:The utilization and costs of home care services provided for people with colorectal cancer is not well-known. We conducted an analysis to determine the utilization and costs of such services associated with each stage of colorectal cancer among patients in the province of Ontario. METHODS:We included cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in Ontario between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2009. Data were extracted from the Ontario Cancer Registry and linked to data from a home care administrative database. The types of services used were stratified by stage of disease and by phase of care (initial phase = 180 d after diagnosis, terminal phase = 180 d before death, continuing phase = interval between initial and terminal phases). Overall utilization rates and costs were determined, and regression analysis was used to examine associated factors. RESULTS:A total of 36 195 patients had colorectal cancer diagnosed during the study period; the median age was 71 (interquartile range 61-79) years. Home care services were provided to 24 641 patients (68.1%). The number of services per patient-year was 27.5, at a cost of $2180 per patient-year. The number of services provided per patient-year increased with increasing disease severity at diagnosis (15.5 at stage I, 25.5 at stage II, 32.5 at stage III and 62.5 at stage IV; 22.6 for unstaged disease). The cost of services per patient-year also increased with disease severity at diagnosis ($1170 at stage I, $1995 at stage II, $2727 at stage III and $5541 at stage IV). Publicly funded home care services and associated costs decreased with increasing income group, but they increased among patients who had a history of high health resource utilization. The mean 30-day cost of home care services decreased from the initial phase of care ($323) to the continuing phase ($160) but increased during the terminal phase ($616). INTERPRETATION:More than two-thirds of the patients with colorectal cancer in this study used home care services. Those who received home care services used about 2 services per month in a one-year period, at a cost of about $2000 per year. This information can aid policy-makers in future decisions regarding resource allocations.

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Dataset Information

Health Care Utilization and Direct Medical Costs of Tennis Elbow: A Population-Based Study.

Background

Hypothesis

Study design

Level of evidence

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Clinical relevance

Publications

Health Care Utilization and Direct Medical Costs of Tennis Elbow: A Population-Based Study.

Similar Datasets

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