TY - JOUR
T1 - Costs associated with symptomatic systolic heart failure
AU - Davey, Peter G.
AU - Clarkson, Peter B.M.
AU - McMahon, Alex
AU - MacDonald, Thomas M.
PY - 1999/11/3
Y1 - 1999/11/3
N2 - Objective: To investigate whether the extent of systolic dysfunction is a useful predictor of the costs of healthcare and social support for patients With heart failure. Design: Cross-sectional study with collection of cost data attributed to management of heart failure in the previous year. Setting: Four primary-care practices in Scotland. Patients: Patients receiving long term therapy with loop diuretics for suspected heart failure. Interventions: Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. Main outcome measures and results: Two hypotheses were tested: (i) the proportion of patients incurring costs is higher in patients with abnormal left ventricular (LV) function; and (ii) the median cost per patient that incurs costs is higher in patients with abnormal LV function. Of the 226 patients in the study, 67 (30%) had abnormal systolic function. In comparison with the remaining 159 patients, they had higher healthcare costs [£560 vs £440 per patient year (1994/1995 values)], were more likely to incur hospital inpatient or outpatient costs [Odds ratio (OR): 2.02; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 3.84] and had significantly higher primary-care costs (mean £292 vs £231 per patient year; p = 0.02, Mann Whitney test). In contrast, they were no more likely to incur social support costs (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.52 to 2.86) and the mean cost of social support per patient year was lower (£234 vs £373). Conclusions: Patients with objectively measured systolic dysfunction incurred significantly higher healthcare costs in the year before diagnosis. This suggests that treatment that improves systolic function will reduce healthcare costs, even in a primary-care population with relatively mild congestive heart failure.
AB - Objective: To investigate whether the extent of systolic dysfunction is a useful predictor of the costs of healthcare and social support for patients With heart failure. Design: Cross-sectional study with collection of cost data attributed to management of heart failure in the previous year. Setting: Four primary-care practices in Scotland. Patients: Patients receiving long term therapy with loop diuretics for suspected heart failure. Interventions: Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. Main outcome measures and results: Two hypotheses were tested: (i) the proportion of patients incurring costs is higher in patients with abnormal left ventricular (LV) function; and (ii) the median cost per patient that incurs costs is higher in patients with abnormal LV function. Of the 226 patients in the study, 67 (30%) had abnormal systolic function. In comparison with the remaining 159 patients, they had higher healthcare costs [£560 vs £440 per patient year (1994/1995 values)], were more likely to incur hospital inpatient or outpatient costs [Odds ratio (OR): 2.02; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 3.84] and had significantly higher primary-care costs (mean £292 vs £231 per patient year; p = 0.02, Mann Whitney test). In contrast, they were no more likely to incur social support costs (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.52 to 2.86) and the mean cost of social support per patient year was lower (£234 vs £373). Conclusions: Patients with objectively measured systolic dysfunction incurred significantly higher healthcare costs in the year before diagnosis. This suggests that treatment that improves systolic function will reduce healthcare costs, even in a primary-care population with relatively mild congestive heart failure.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032727954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2165/00019053-199916040-00007
DO - 10.2165/00019053-199916040-00007
M3 - Article
C2 - 10623367
AN - SCOPUS:0032727954
VL - 16
SP - 399
EP - 407
JO - PharmacoEconomics
JF - PharmacoEconomics
SN - 1170-7690
IS - 4
ER -