Citations

Objectives/HypothesisTo evaluate trends, outcomes, and healthcare utilization following medialization laryngoplasty (ML) with or without arytenoid adduction (AA) over 10 years.Study DesignRetrospective observational study.MethodsUsing OptumLabs Data Warehouse, trends, outcomes, and healthcare utilization from 2006 to 2015 were examined with a focus on discharge type (same day or not). Predictors of postoperative emergency department (ED) use and hospitalization were determined by multivariable logistic regression.ResultsOverall rate of ML was 1.09 per 100 thousand enrollees per year. Of these, 7.8% ML were combined with an AA. Outpatient same‐day discharge represented 62.0% (1,142 of 1,843) of total patients, steadily increasing over the 10‐year period (P < 0.01). There was a 5.9% revision ML rate and 1.0% rate of tracheotomy within 1 day of ML. A total of 5.6% visited an ED, and 5.4% were admitted to a hospital following initial discharge within 30 days. Same‐day discharge was found to be a predictor of hospitalization within 30 days after ML (odds ratio [OR] 1.74, P = 0.0452), along with Elixhauser comorbidity index of 4 + (OR 5.74, P = 0.0001). Pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, and weight loss were top predictors of ED visit or hospitalization.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first search evaluating national claims data for ML with or without AA. Overall rate of ML is low, and same‐day discharge has become more common over a 10‐year period, with an associated higher 30‐day hospital admission risk. Correct patient selection criteria for disposition status cannot be fully determined based on current data, but a high Elixhauser comorbidity index clearly carries increased risk for hospitalization after initial discharge.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 129:952–960, 2019

6531 Background: Annual mammography is recommended to screen residual breast tissue for new cancers and recurrent disease after treatment for early stage breast cancer. This study aimed to assess mammography rates over time in breast cancer survivors. Methods: We used administrative claims data from a large U.S. commercial insurance database, OptumLabs, to retrospectively identify privately- and Medicare Advantage-insured women with operable breast cancer who had residual breast tissue after definitive breast surgery between 2006 and 2015. We required coverage for at least 13 months following surgery. For each subsequent 13-month time period, we only included women without a loss of coverage, bilateral mastectomy, metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, or non-breast cancer diagnosis. We calculated the proportion of patients who had a mammogram during each 13-month period following breast surgery. We used multivariable logistic regression to test for factors associated with mammography in the first 13 months. Results: The cohort included 26,011 women followed for a median of 2.9 years (IQR 1.9-4.6) after surgery; 63.1% were less than 65 years of age, and 74.4% were white. In their first year of follow-up, 86% underwent mammography, but by year 7, this decreased to 73%. Fewer than 1% underwent MRI instead of mammography. In multivariable analysis, mammograms were less likely during the first year after surgery among women aged < 50 years (odds ratio [OR], 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6 to 0.8), African Americans (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.7 to 0.8), patients who underwent mastectomy (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.7), and patients residing in the Western part of the country (OR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.7 to 0.9). Those with 1-2 comorbidities were more likely (OR, 1.1; 95% CI 1.1-1.2) than those with none to have a mammogram during that period. Mammography use did not differ significantly by year of diagnosis (2006-2015). Conclusions: Even in an insured cohort, a substantial proportion of breast cancer survivors do not undergo annual surveillance mammography. Mammography use falls as the time from the early stage breast cancer diagnosis increases. Understanding factors associated with lack of mammographic screening may help improve survivorship care.

The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing. The health care burden resulting from the multidisciplinary management of this complex disease is unknown. We assessed the total health care cost and resource utilization associated with a new NAFLD diagnosis, compared with controls with similar comorbidities. We used OptumLabs Data Warehouse, a large national administrative claims database with longitudinal health data of over 100 million individuals enrolled in private and Medicare Advantage health plans. We identified 152,064 adults with a first claim for NAFLD between 2010 and 2014, of which 108,420 were matched 1:1 by age, sex, metabolic comorbidities, length of follow‐up, year of diagnosis, race, geographic region, and insurance type to non‐NAFLD contemporary controls from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse database. Median follow‐up time was 2.6 (range 1‐6.5) years. The final study cohort consisted of 216,840 people with median age 55 (range 18‐86) years, 53% female, 78% white. The total annual cost of care per NAFLD patient with private insurance was $7,804 (interquartile range [IQR] $3,068‐$18,688) for a new diagnosis and $3,789 (IQR $1,176‐$10,539) for long‐term management. These costs are significantly higher than the total annual costs of $2,298 (IQR $681‐$6,580) per matched control with similar metabolic comorbidities but without NAFLD. The largest increases in health care utilization that may account for the increased costs in NAFLD compared with controls are represented by liver biopsies (relative risk [RR] = 55.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 24.48‐123.59), imaging (RR = 3.95, 95% CI 3.77‐4.15), and hospitalizations (RR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.73‐2.02). Conclusion: The costs associated with the care for NAFLD independent of its metabolic comorbidities are very high, especially at first diagnosis. Research efforts shouldfocus on identification of underlying determinants of use, sources of excess cost, and development of cost‐effective diagnostic tests.

Background: The US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in July 2015. We aimed to assess the adoption and prescription drug costs of sacubitril/valsartan in its first 18 months after Food and Drug Administration approval. Methods and Results: Using a large US insurance database, we identified privately insured and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who filled a first prescription for sacubitril/valsartan between July 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016. We compared them to patients treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker. Outcomes included adoption, prescription drug costs, and 180-day adherence, defined as a proportion of days covered ≥80%. A total of 2244 patients initiated sacubitril/valsartan. Although the number of users increased over time, the proportion of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients taking sacubitril/valsartan remained low (<3%). Patients prescribed sacubitril/valsartan were younger, more often male, with less comorbidity than those taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker. Although a majority of prescription costs were covered by the health plan (mean, $328.37; median, $362.44 per 30-day prescription), out-of-pocket costs were still high (mean, $71.16; median, $40.27). By comparison, median out-of-pocket costs were $2 to $3 for lisinopril, losartan, carvedilol, and spironolactone. Overall, 59.1% of patients were adherent to sacubitril/valsartan. Refill patterns suggested that nearly half of nonadherent patients discontinued sacubitril/valsartan within 180 days of starting. Conclusions: Adoption of sacubitril/valsartan after Food and Drug Administration approval has been slow and may be associated with the high cost.

Abstract Purpose: Prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is essential to preserve quality of life in cancer patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) such as doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide (AC) or cisplatin. Recently, new drugs (e.g. fosaprepitant and newer neurokinin 1 receptor antagonists [NK1RAs], rolapitant and netupitant) and updated guidelines for antiemetic use (e.g. adding olanzapine) have emerged. However, trends in real world antiemetic use are understudied. Methods: We performed a retrospective study using the OptumLabs Data Warehouse (OLDW), which includes administrative claims for privately insured and Medicare Advantage enrollees in the U.S. We identified 34,236 patients age 18 years or older treated with either AC or cisplatin between January 2006 and June 2016. Data collected included baseline demographics (age, gender, census region and race), chemotherapy administered, and presence/absence of a central intravenous access device. Trends of anti-emetic use were presented overall and separately for 5-HT receptor antagonists (5HT3RAs) and NK1RAs. Results: 23,030 patients (67.3%) received an anthracycline-based regimen (AC with or without docetaxel or paclitaxel), and 11,206 (32.7%) patients received cisplatin. Approximately two thirds of patients were female (n= 23,392). Dexamethasone use was stable over the decade (used by 85-90% in all years). Use of 5HT3RAs, primarily palonosetron and ondansetron, occurred in at least 95% of patients in all study years, consistent with guideline recommendations. NK1RAs were underutilized early on compared with guideline recommendations, but use increased to approximately 80% in the most recently evaluated year. Fosaprepitant use rose precipitously starting in 2009, preceding a sharp fall in aprepitant use beginning in 2011. The use of olanzapine, rolapitant and netupitant was minimal throughout the study period. Conclusions: Dexamethasone and 5-HT3RAs were used in the vast majority of patients receiving HEC, in accordance with guideline recommendations. Less compliance with guidelines was seen with NK1RA use. Citation Format: O'Sullivan CC, Van Houten HK, Sangaralingham L, Leal AD, Shinde S, Liu H, Ettinger D, Loprinzi CL, Ruddy KJ. Ten year trends in antiemetic prescribing in cancer patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-11-18.

Policy and financial pressures have driven up use of observation stays for patients in traditional Medicare and the Veterans’ Affairs Healthcare System. Using claims data (2004-2014) from OptumLabs™ Data Warehouse, we examined whether people in private Medicare Advantage (MA) and commercial plans experienced similar changes. We found that use of observation increased rapidly for patients in MA plans—even though MA plans were not subject to the same pressures as government-run programs. In contrast, use of observation remained constant for people in commercial plans—except for enrollees 65 and older, for whom it increased somewhat. Privately insured patients returning to the hospital after an inpatient stay were increasingly likely to be placed under observation. Our results suggest that observation is rapidly replacing inpatient admissions and readmissions for many older patients in MA and commercial plans, while younger patients continue to be admitted as inpatients at relatively constant rates.

Abstract Background While several studies have identified risk factors for PJI using insurance claims data, these data sets have been limited to a single regional insurance dataset or to the Medicare population. We sought to investigate risk factors for early PJI among patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty (THKA). Methods All patients who underwent primary THKA between January 1, 2004 and July 31, 2014 with 12 months of continuous preceding medical and pharmacy insurance coverage were included in the study. The primary outcome of PJI required both a compatible procedure code and a diagnostic code during an inpatient stay from the time of THKA through 90 days after discharge. Comorbidities were based on ICD-9 codes in the preceding 12 months and patients with a prior diagnosis of PJI during that time period were excluded. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression. Results A total of 147,053 patients underwent THKA during the study period, including 97,448 patients with TKA and 49,605 with THA. PJI occurred in 754 (0.5%) patients. Female gender was independently associated with lower odds of PJI (Figure). A number of biologically plausible factors were associated with increased risk, including chronic skin ulcer, obesity, substance use disorders, joint sarcoma, and malnutrition. The adjusted odds of PJI increased in a stepwise fashion with each increase in the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), with those with a score of 4 or more having a nearly 2-fold adjusted odds of PJI compared with a score of 0 (OR 1.91; 95% CI 1.29 −2.82). Previously observed risk factors diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic renal failure were associated with increased odds of PJI on univariate analysis, but not after adjustment. Conclusion These data identify several potentially modifiable risk factors for preoperative optimization, including obesity, malnutrition, chronic skin ulcers, and substance-use disorders. The level of comorbidity as assessed by the CCI provides a rough estimate of the increasing risk of PJI. The pathobiology of additional risk factors observed here deserves further study. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.