Medical costs associated with cardiovascular events among high-risk patients with hyperlipidemia

Machaon M Bonafede,1 Barbara H Johnson,1 Akshara Richhariya,2 Shravanthi R Gandra2 1Outcomes Research, Truven Health Analytics, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2Global Health Economics, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA Objectives: This study descriptively examined acute and longer term direct medical costs associated with a major cardiovascular (CV) event among high-risk coronary heart disease risk-equivalent (CHD-RE) patients. It also gives a firsthand look at fatal versus nonfatal CV events. Methods: The MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters Database was used to identify adults with a CV event in 2006–2012 with hyperlipidemia or lipid-lowering therapy use in the 18 months prior to one of the following inpatient CV events: myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, unstable angina, transient ischemic attack, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Patients were required to have a preindex diagnosis of at least one of the following: peripheral arterial disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, carotid artery disease, or diabetes. A subset analysis was conducted with patients with data linkable to the Social Security Administration Master Death File. Direct medical costs were reported for each quarter following a CV event, for up to 36 months after the first CV event. Results: In total, 38,609 CHD-RE patients were included, mean age 57 years, 31% female. CABG, myocardial infarction, and percutaneous coronary intervention were the most frequent and most expensive first CV events, accounting for >75% of all first CV events with mean first quarter costs ranging from $17,454 (nonfatal transient ischemic attack) to$125,690 (fatal CABG). Overall, 15% of those with a first CV event went on to have a second event during the 36-month study period with mean first quarter nonfatal and fatal costs similar to first event levels. Third CV events were rare, happening in less than 3% of patients. Conclusion: CV events among CHD-RE patients were costly regardless of sequence, averaging $47,433 in the first 90 days following an event and remaining high, never returning to preevent levels. When fatal, first CV event costs were 1.2 to 2.9 times higher than when nonfatal. Keywords: coronary heart disease risk equivalent, economic burden, subsequent CV event, fatal CV even

Patient-level costs of major cardiovascular conditions: a review of the international literature

Gina Nicholson,1 Shravanthi R Gandra,2 Ronald J Halbert,1 Akshara Richhariya,2 Robert J Nordyke1 1ICON, El Segundo, 2Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA Objective: Robust cost estimates of cardiovascular (CV) events are required for assessing health care interventions aimed at reducing the economic burden of major adverse CV events. This review synthesizes international cost estimates of CV events.Methods: MEDLINE database was searched electronically for English language studies published during 2007-2012, with cost estimates for CV events of interest – unstable angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and CV revascularization. Included studies provided at least one estimate of patient-level direct costs in adults for any identified country. Information on study characteristics and cost estimates were collected. All costs were adjusted for inflation to 2013 values.Results: Across the 114 studies included, the average cost was US $6,466 for unstable angina,$11,664 for acute myocardial infarction, $11,686 for acute heart failure,$11,635 for acute ischemic stroke, $37,611 for coronary artery bypass graft, and$13,501 for percutaneous coronary intervention. The ranges for cost estimates varied widely across countries with US cost estimate being at least twice as high as European Union costs for some conditions. Few studies were found on populations outside the US and European Union.Conclusion: This review showed wide variation in the cost of CV events within and across countries, while showcasing the continuing economic burden of CV disease. The variability in costs was primarily attributable to differences in study population, costing methodologies, and reporting differences. Reliable cost estimates for assessing economic value of interventions in CV disease are needed. Keywords: cardiovascular diseases, health care costs, hospitalization economics, follow-up studie