Cost and care models for acutely ill nursing home residents in Germany: the example of pneumonia

Background

Hospitalisation of acutely ill nursing home residents is associated with health risks such as infections, complications, or falls, and results in high costs for the health care system. Taking the case of pneumonia, nursing homes generally can ensure care according to guidelines.

Aim

Extrapolation of overall expenditures for the German statutory health insurance system from the hospitalisation of nursing home residents with respiratory infection/pneumonia; developing alternative cost scenarios to compare nursing home care with hospital care in consideration of patients’ condition.

Methods

Data provided by health insurance funds were extrapolated to the German statutory health insurance system and weighted via German-DRG case values. Care processes (hospital vs. nursing home) were modelled, and treatment steps were divided into cost categories. The patient’s condition was standardised via the Barthel Index.

Results

Total expenditures of € 163.3 million were incurred for inpatient care of nursing home residents transferred to hospitals for respiratory infection/pneumonia in 2013 in Germany. Process modelling reveals lower direct costs for nursing home care as well as better development of patients’ condition. Looking at operators of nursing homes, both care scenarios necessitate additional services without reimbursement.

Conclusion

Expenditure projections for the hospital care of nursing home residents with pneumonia reveal high saving potential. Avoidance of hospital admission serves to considerably reduce the insurers’ expenditures but also the duration and severity of illness. The study illustrates economic incentive structures for health care providers and indicates courses of action for health policy and nursing homes operators.

     

Healthcare costs and resource utilization of asthma in Germany: a claims data analysis

Introduction

Asthma is associated with a substantial economic burden on the German Statutory Health Insurance.

Aims and objectives

To determine costs and resource utilization associated with asthma and to analyze the impact of disease severity on subgroups based on age and gender.

Methods

A claims database analysis from the statutory health insurance perspective was conducted. Patients with an ICD-10-GM code of asthma were extracted from a 10 % sample of a large German sickness fund. Five controls for each asthma patient matched by age and gender were randomly selected from the same database. Costs and resource utilization were calculated for each individual in the asthma and control group. Incremental asthma-related costs were calculated as the mean cost difference. Based on prescribed asthma medication, patients were classified as intermittent or persistent. In addition, age groups of ≤5, 6–18, and >18 years were analyzed separately and gender differences were investigated.

Results

Overall, 49,668 individuals were included in the asthma group. On average, total annual costs per patient were €753 higher (p = 0.000) compared to the control group (€2,168 vs. €1,415). Asthma patients had significantly higher (p = 0.000) outpatient (€217), inpatient (€176), and pharmacy costs (€259). Incremental asthma-related total costs were higher for patients with persistent asthma compared to patients with intermittent asthma (€1,091 vs. €408). Women aged >18 years with persistent asthma had the highest difference in costs compared to their controls (€1,207; p < 0.0001). Corresponding healthcare resource utilization was significantly higher in the asthma group (p = 0.000).

Conclusions

The treatment of asthma is associated with an increased level of healthcare resource utilization and significantly higher healthcare costs. Asthma imposes a substantial economic burden on sickness funds.

     

Cost-Utility Analysis of Telemonitoring Interventions for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Germany

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) poses major challenges for health care systems. Previous studies suggest that telemonitoring could be effective in preventing hospitalisations and hence reduce costs.

Objective

The aim was to evaluate whether telemonitoring interventions for COPD are cost-effective from the perspective of German statutory sickness funds.

Methods

A cost-utility analysis was conducted using a combination of a Markov model and a decision tree. Telemonitoring as add-on to standard treatment was compared with standard treatment alone. The model consisted of four transition stages to account for COPD severity, and a terminal stage for death. Within each cycle, the frequency of exacerbations as well as outcomes for 2015 costs and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) for each stage were calculated. Values for input parameters were taken from the literature. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted.

Results

In the base case, telemonitoring led to an increase in incremental costs (€866 per patient) but also in incremental QALYs (0.05 per patient). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was thus €17,410 per QALY gained. A deterministic sensitivity analysis showed that hospitalisation rate and costs for telemonitoring equipment greatly affected results. The probabilistic ICER averaged €34,432 per QALY (95 % confidence interval 12,161–56,703).

Conclusion

We provide evidence that telemonitoring may be cost-effective in Germany from a payer’s point of view. This holds even after deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

     

German claims data analysis to assess impact of different intraocular lenses on posterior capsule opacification and related healthcare costs

Aim

Cataract extraction is one of the most frequent surgeries in Germany. In most cases, the clouded natural lens is replaced by a hydrophobic or hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) implant. The most common long-term complication after cataract surgery is the development of a posterior capsule opacification (PCO). Although no precise real world data are available, published evidence suggests a lower risk for PCO development for hydrophobic acrylic IOLs compared to hydrophilic acrylic IOLs. Therefore, in the present study we assessed real world data on the impact of different IOL material types on the incidence of post-operative PCO treatment.

Subject and methods

In this retrospective study, we included 3,025 patients who underwent cataract extraction and implantation of either an acrylic hydrophobic or hydrophilic IOL in 2010. We assessed clinical outcomes and direct costs in a 4-year follow-up period after cataract surgery from a statutory health insurance (SHI) perspective in Germany.

Results

PCO that required capsulotomies occurred significantly (p < 0.0001) less frequent in patients who had received a hydrophobic IOL (31.57% of 2,078 patients) compared to the group with hydrophilic IOL implants (56.6% of 947 patients) and costs per patient for postoperative treatment in a 4-year follow-up were 50.03 € vs. 87.81 € (i.e. 75% higher in the latter group, p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Considering the high prevalence of cataract, the economic burden associated with adverse effects of cataract extraction is of great relevance for the German SHI. Hydrophobic lenses seem to be superior regarding both medical and economic results.

     

The economic impact of multiple sclerosis to the patients and their families in Norway

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) imposes high economic costs on society, but the patients and their families have to bear some of these costs.

Objective

We aimed to estimate the magnitude of these economic costs in Norway.

Method

We collected data through a postal questionnaire survey targeting 922 MS patients in Hordaland County, western Norway, in 2013–2014; 546 agreed to participate and were included. The questionnaire included clinical and demographic characteristics, volume and cost of MS-related resource use, work participation, income, government financial support, and disability status.

Results

The mean annual total economic costs for the patients and their families were €11,603. Indirect costs accounted for 66% and were lower for women than for men. The direct costs were nearly identical for men and women. The costs increased up to Expanded Disability Status Scale score 6 except for steps between 3 and 4 where it remained nearly constant. The costs reduced from EDSS 6 to 8, and increased from 8 to 9. Lifetime costs ranged from €24,897 to €70,021 for patients with late disease onset and slow progression, and between €441,934 and €574,860 for patients with early onset and rapid progression.

Conclusion

The economic costs of MS impose a heavy burden on the patients and their families. Supplementing the information on the cost of MS to society, our finding should be included as background information in decisions on reimbursing and allocating public resources for the well-being of MS patients and their families.

     

Willingness to pay for health insurance among the elderly population in Germany

Introduction

All elderly Germans are legally obliged to have health insurance. About 90 % of this population are members of social health insurances (SHI) whose premiums are generally income-related and independent of health status. For most of these members, holding social health insurance is mandatory. As a consequence, genuine information about preferences for health insurance is not available. The aim of this study was therefore to determine and analyze the willingness to pay (WTP) for health insurance among elderly Germans.

Methods

Data from a population-based 8-year follow-up of a large cohort study conducted in the Saarland, Germany was used. Participants aged 57–84 years passed a geriatric assessment and responded to a health economic questionnaire. Individuals’ WTP was elicited based on a contingent valuation method with a payment card.

Results

Mean monthly WTP per capita for health insurance amounted to €260. This corresponded to about 20 % of individual disposable income. Regression analyses showed that WTP increased significantly with higher income, male gender, higher educational level, and privately insured status. In contrast, neither increasing morbidity level nor higher individual health care costs influenced WTP significantly.

Discussion

The relatively large extent of average WTP for health insurance indicates that the elderly would probably accept higher contributions to SHI rather than policy efforts to reduce contributions. The identified determinants of WTP might indicate that elderly generally approve the principle of solidarity of the SHI with contributions depending on income rather than morbidity.

     

Regional distribution of physicians: the role of comprehensive private health insurance in Germany

Objective

In recent years, the co-existence in Germany of two parallel comprehensive insurance systems—statutory health insurance (SHI) and private health insurance (PHI)—has been posited as a possible cause of a persistent unequal regional distribution of physicians. The present study investigates the effect of the proportion of privately insured patients on the density of SHI-licensed physicians, while controlling for regional variations in the average income from SHI patients.

Methods

The proportion of residents in a district with private health insurance is estimated using complete administrative data from the SHI system and the German population census. Missing values are estimated using multiple imputation techniques. All models control for the estimated average income ambulatory physicians generate from treating SHI insured patients and a well-defined set of covariates on the level of districts in Germany in 2010.

Results

Our results show that every percentage change in the proportion of residents with private health insurance is associated with increases of 2.1 and 1.3 % in the density of specialists and GPs respectively. Higher SHI income in rural areas does not compensate for this effect.

Conclusion

From a financial perspective, it is rational for a physician to locate a new practice in a district with a high proportion of privately insured patients. From the perspective of patients in the SHI system, the incentive effects of PHI presumably contribute to a concentration of health care services in wealthy and urban areas. To date, the needs-based planning mechanism has been unable to address this imbalance.

     

A comprehensive approach to assess the costs of renal replacement therapy for end-stage renal disease in France: the importance of age,diabetes status,and clinical events

Objectives

In the current pressured economic context, and to continue to treat the growing number of patients with high-quality standards, the first step is to have a better understanding of the costs related to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treatment according to various renal replacement therapy, age, diabetes status, and clinical events.

Methods

In order to estimate the direct costs of all adult ESRD patients, according to (RRT) modality, patient condition, and clinical events, data from the French national health insurance funds were used.

Results

The mean monthly costs for the 47,862 stable prevalent patients (73 % of the population) varied substantially according to treatment modality (from 7300€ for in-center hemodialysis to 1100€ for a functioning renal graft) and to clinical event (8300€ for the first month of dialysis, 11,000€ for the last month before death, 22,800€ for the first month after renal transplantation). Mean monthly costs varied according to diabetic status and to age to a lesser extent.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate, for the first time in France and in Europe, the importance of a dynamic view of renal care and the bias likely when comparing treatments in cross-sectional studies.

     

Use of health resources and healthcare costs associated with frailty: The FRADEA study

Background

Frailty is associated with adverse health outcomes, but its association with hospital healthcare costs has not been analyzed. The main objective was to estimate the adjusted annual costs and use of hospital healthcare resources in frail older adults compared to non frail ones.

Design

FRADEA Study. Mean follow-up 1044 days (SD 314).

Setting

Albacete city, Spain.

Participants

830 adults ≥70 years.

Measurements

Age, sex, comorbidity measured with the Charlson index and Fried´s Frailty phenotype as independent variables, and use of hospital resources (hospital admissions, emergency visits, and specialist visits), and hospital healthcare costs as outcome variables. Outcome data were collected from Minimum Data Set of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Albacete. The cost base year was 2013. Logistic regression and two-part models were used to analyze the association between frailty and the use of healthcare resources. Generalized Linear Models were applied to estimate the impact of frailty and comorbidity on the healthcare costs.

Results

The average cost associated with the use of health resources was 1,922€/year. Frail participants had an average total cost of health resources of 2,476€/year, pre-frail 2,056€/year, and non-frail 1,217€/year. 67% of the total health cost was associated with hospital admission cost, 29% with specialist visits cost and 4% with emergency visits cost. Frailty and comorbidity were the most important factors associated with the use of hospital healthcare resources. Adjusted healthcare costs were 592€/year and 458€/year greater in frail and pre-frail participants respectively, compared to non-frail ones, and having a Charlson index ≥ 3, was associated with an increased costs of 2,289€/year.

Conclusion

Frailty and comorbidity are meaningful and complementary associated with increased hospital healthcare resources use, and related costs.

     

Association between chronic morbidity and early retirement in Italy

Objectives

To examine the association between early retirement and presence of chronic morbidity in an Italian working population approaching the statutory pension age.

Methods

The study population consisted of men and women aged 45–59 years, employed at some time in the past (n = 18,547), who participated in a national cross-sectional survey, conducted in 2005. By means of a standardized questionnaire, information was collected on employment status, chronic diseases, and sociodemographics. The outcome was being retired as of the survey date. The association with number of diseases reported and specific long-term illnesses was assessed through multivariate Poisson regression models with robust standard errors, adjusted for potential confounders (p < 0.05).

Results

In the final multivariable models, people with poorer health were more likely to retire earlier. Diseases of the nervous system, malignant tumors, myocardial infarction, other cardiac diseases, and arthrosis/arthritis were the illnesses most strongly associated with early retirement; furthermore, the risk of retirement increased linearly as the number of diseases reported increased. Among other covariates, age, area of residence, educational level, and occupational social class were also significantly associated with the outcome. Occupational social class significantly modified the association between morbidity and retirement in men, among whom a higher risk of retirement associated with morbidity was observed in the highest, compared with lower social classes.

Conclusions

A statistically significant and independent association between chronic morbidity and early retirement was observed among subjects approaching the statutory pension age, suggesting the need to develop interventions to improve prevention and treatment of chronic conditions.

     

Physical inactivity of adults and 1-year health care expenditures in Brazil

Objectives

To analyze the association between physical inactivity in different domains and direct public healthcare expenditures in adults and to identify whether the clustering of physical inactivity in different domains would contribute to increased public healthcare.

Methods

The sample composed of 963 adults randomly selected in a middle-size Brazilian city. Annual healthcare expenditure was estimated including all items registered in the medical records in the last 12 months prior to the interview. Habitual physical activity was estimated using Baecke questionnaire, which considers three components of physical activity (work, sports and leisure-time activities).

Results

Higher healthcare expenditures of medicines were associated with lower physical activity at work (OR 1.58 [1.06–2.35]), sport (OR 1.57 [1.12–2.18]) and physical inactivity in three domains (OR 2.12 [1.18–3.78]). Expenditures related to medicine (r = 0.109 [95 % CI 0.046–0.171]) and overall expenditures (r = 0.092 [95 % CI 0.029–0.155]) were related to physical inactivity, independently of age, sex, smoking, blood pressure and obesity.

Conclusions

Physically inactive subjects in different domains of physical activity have increased likelihood to be inserted at groups of higher healthcare expenditure.

     

Identifying time trends in multimorbidity—defining multimorbidity in times of changing diagnostic practices

Aim

Time trends in multimorbidity have rarely been examined and no criteria have been developed to measure the development of multimorbidity over time. Against the backdrop of increasing numbers of diagnoses a robust measure is needed that is sensitive to changes over time and allows to differentiate between multimorbid and non-multimorbid individuals. We examine how prevalence estimates change as criteria for defining multimorbidity are varied systematically and how this influences the observed time trend.

Subject and methods

Our analyses are based on the data of a German statutory health insurance from 2005 to 2013. Measures are compared using different minimal numbers of chronic conditions required to define multimorbidity: three and six. As a stricter criterion both variants are then combined with polypharmacy.

Results

All definitions of multimorbidity are leading to increasing prevalence rates over time. Defining multimorbidity as the presence of three or more chronic conditions leads to very high prevalence rates and is lacking discriminative power in the oldest old. Lower prevalence rates with a sharp increase over time can be observed in the proportion of insured with at least six chronic conditions. Adding polypharmacy reduces the growth over time remarkably.

Conclusion

The analyses suggest that the increase of multimorbidity is mainly driven by chronic conditions that are not in need of complex medication. Simple disease counts are inappropriate for defining multimorbidity.

     

Economic evaluation of Zepatier for the management of HCV in the Italian scenario

Background

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health issue worldwide. New generation of direct-active antiviral medications is an epoch-making turning point in the management of HCV infections.

Objective

Conducing a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the combination of elbasvir/grazoprevir and sofosbuvir?+?pegylated interferon/ribavirin for the management of all HCV patients (even those in the initial stages of fibrosis).

Methods

A Markov model was built on the natural history of the disease to assess the efficacy of the alternatives. The outcomes are expressed in terms of quality adjusted life-years (QALYs) and result in terms of incremental cost-effectiveness ratio).

Results

Elbasvir/grazoprevir implies an expenditure of €21,104,253.74 with a gain of 19,287.90 QALYs and sofosbuvir?+?pegylated interferon/ribavirin implies an expenditure of €31,904,410.11 with a gain of 18,855.96 QALYs. Elbasvir/grazoprevir is thus a dominant strategy.

Conclusion

Consideration should be given to the opportunity cost of not treating patients with a lower degree of fibrosis (F0–F2).

     

Das Simulationsspiel „Kultur der Prävention“

Background

Within serious games, in particular simulation games, have potential when it comes to teaching complex topics. Simulation games allow learners to explore the complex interplay of various variables. The current campaign of the German statutory accident insurance (DGUV; Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung) addresses such a complex topic in the field of prevention at work: one’s own prevention culture.

Aims

Based on the goals of the current campaign (e.?g., promoting a holistic approach with regard to safety and health in organizations), the aim of the present contribution is to describe how a serious game can help raise awareness for one’s own prevention culture.

Results

The article presents the concept of the simulation game “culture of prevention” (short working title “simkult”). In this multiplayer game, the player has the role of a restaurant manager who is responsible for the health and productivity of his employees. In this article, the core elements of the game, the implementation within teams, and preliminary results of the concept evaluation are presented and discussed.

     

An extended cost-effectiveness analysis of schizophrenia treatment in India under universal public finance

Background

Schizophrenia remains a priority condition in mental health policy and service development because of its early onset, severity and consequences for affected individuals and households.

Aims and methods

This paper reports on an ‘extended’ cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) for schizophrenia treatment in India, which seeks to evaluate through a modeling approach not only the costs and health effects of intervention but also the consequences of a policy of universal public finance (UPF) on health and financial outcomes across income quintiles.

Results

Using plausible values for input parameters, we conclude that health gains from UPF are concentrated among the poorest, whereas the non-health gains in the form of out-of-pocket private expenditures averted due to UPF are concentrated among the richest income quintiles. Value of insurance is the highest for the poorest quintile and declines with income.

Conclusions

Universal public finance can play a crucial role in ameliorating the adverse economic and social consequences of schizophrenia and its treatment in resource-constrained settings where health insurance coverage is generally poor. This paper shows the potential distributional and financial risk protection effects of treating schizophrenia.

     

Preferences for home- and community-based long-term care services in Germany: a discrete choice experiment

Background

Most people prefer to “age in place” and to remain in their homes for as long as possible even in case they require long-term care. While informal care is projected to decrease in Germany, the use of home- and community-based services (HCBS) can be expected to increase in the future. Preference-based data on aspects of HCBS is needed to optimize person-centered care.

Objective

To investigate preferences for home- and community-based long-term care services packages.

Design

Discrete choice experiment conducted in mailed survey.

Setting and participants

Randomly selected sample of the general population aged 45–64 years in Germany (n?=?1.209).

Main variables studied

Preferences and marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for HCBS were assessed with respect to five HCBS attributes (with 2–4 levels): care time per day, service level of the HCBS provider, quality of care, number of different caregivers per month, co-payment.

Results

Quality of care was the most important attribute to respondents and small teams of regular caregivers (1–2) were preferred over larger teams. Yet, an extended range of services of the HCBS provider was not preferred over a more narrow range. WTP per hour of HCBS was €8.98.

Conclusions

Our findings on preferences for HCBS in the general population in Germany add to the growing international evidence of preferences for LTC. In light of the great importance of high care quality to respondents, reimbursement for services by HCBS providers could be more strongly linked to the quality of services.

     

Cost-of-illness analysis and regression modeling in cystic fibrosis: a retrospective prevalence-based study

Background

Economic data pertaining to cystic fibrosis (CF), is limited in Europe generally, and completely lacking in Central and Eastern Europe. We performed an analysis of all direct costs associated with CF relative to key disease features and laboratory examinations.

Methods

A retrospective prevalence-based cost-of-illness (COI) study was performed in a representative cohort of 242 CF patients in the Czech Republic, which represents about 65 % of all Czech CF patients. Medical records and invoices to health insurance companies for reference year 2010 were analyzed.

Results

The mean total health care costs were €14,486 per patient, with the majority of the costs going towards medicinal products and devices (€10,321). Medical procedures (€2676) and inpatient care (€1829) represented a much smaller percentage of costs. A generalized linear model showed that the strongest cost drivers, for all cost categories, were associated with patient age and lung disease severity (assessed using the FEV1 spirometric parameter), when compounded by chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway infections. Specifically, maximum total costs are around the age 16 years; a FEV1 increase of 1 % point represented a cost decrease of: 0.9 % (medicinal products), 1.7 % (total costs), 2.8 % (procedures) and 7.0 % (inpatient care).

Conclusions

COI analysis and regression modeling using the most recent data available can provide a better understanding of the overall economic CF burden. A comparison of our results with other methodologically similar studies demonstrates that although overall costs may differ, FEV1 can nonetheless be utilized as a generally transferrable indicator of the relative economic impact of CF.

     

The inequality of inpatient care net benefit under integration of urban-rural medical insurance systems in China

Background

China has recently made efforts to integrate urban and rural basic medical insurance systems in order to ensure both urban and rural enrollees obtain unified benefits. However, whether the distribution of government healthcare subsides has become more equitable remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze determinants of and inequality in net inpatient care benefits under the integration of urban-rural medical insurance systems in China.

Methods

Data were obtained from a nationally representative household survey, the Fifth National Health Services Survey (2013), conducted in Anhui province. A multiple regression model and concentration index (CI) was used to estimate related factors and inequality of inpatient care net benefits.

Results

Findings indicated that individuals received more inpatient care benefits when urban and rural social healthcare systems were integrated. Factors associated with net benefits included gender, age, marital status, retirement, educational level, history of chronic diseases, health status, willingness to seek inpatient care and per capita income. The rich were found to disproportionately benefit from inpatient care, and the CI of net benefits for integrated insurance enrollees was the lowest among all three available health insurance schemes. These findings indicate that the recent unification of urban-rural social health insurances reduces inequality in net benefits from government subsidies. Some socioeconomic factors, such as per capita income, 60?years of age and over, history of chronic disease and high educational level positively influence inequality.

Conclusion

In China, accelerating the integration of urban and rural medical insurance systems is an effective way to increase equity of benefit in urban and rural areas. Strategies aimed at reducing inpatient benefit inequality must address socioeconomic factors influencing healthcare outcomes.

     

Cost analysis of colorectal cancer screening with CT colonography in Italy

Objective

Unit costs of screening CT colonography (CTC) can be useful for cost-effectiveness analyses and for health care decision-making. We evaluated the unit costs of CTC as a primary screening test for colorectal cancer in the setting of a randomized trial in Italy.

Methods

Data were collected within the randomized SAVE trial. Subjects were invited to screening CTC by mail and requested to have a pre-examination consultation. CTCs were performed with 64- and 128-slice CT scanners after reduced or full bowel preparation. Activity-based costing was used to determine unit costs per-process, per-participant to screening CTC, and per-subject with advanced neoplasia.

Results

Among 5242 subjects invited to undergo screening CTC, 1312 had pre-examination consultation and 1286 ultimately underwent CTC. Among 129 subjects with a positive CTC, 126 underwent assessment colonoscopy and 67 were ultimately diagnosed with advanced neoplasia (i.e., cancer or advanced adenoma). Cost per-participant of the entire screening CTC pathway was €196.80. Average cost per-participant for the screening invitation process was €17.04 and €9.45 for the pre-examination consultation process. Average cost per-participant of the CTC execution and reading process was €146.08 and of the diagnostic assessment colonoscopy process was €24.23. Average cost per-subject with advanced neoplasia was €3777.30.

Conclusions

Cost of screening CTC was €196.80 per-participant. Our data suggest that the more relevant cost of screening CTC, amenable of intervention, is related to CTC execution and reading process.