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Anemia and cost in Medicare patients with congestive heart failure

Craig A Solid1, Robert N Foley, David T Gilbertson

  • 1Chronic Disease Research Group, Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55404, USA.

Congestive Heart Failure (Greenwich, Conn.)
|December 16, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Anemia in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients significantly increases Medicare costs. This study found anemia is linked to higher healthcare spending in elderly CHF patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Geriatrics
  • Health Economics

Background:

  • Anemia is a common comorbidity in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).
  • The economic burden of anemia in CHF patients on healthcare systems is not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the total cost to Medicare associated with anemia in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients.
  • To quantify the increased medical expenditure linked to anemia in elderly CHF patients.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes to identify anemia, CHF, and comorbidities in 2002.
  • Calculated total Medicare costs for 2003 based on identified patient cohorts.
  • Performed statistical analysis to compare costs between CHF patients with and without anemia, adjusting for demographic and comorbidity factors.

Main Results:

  • Anemia was present in 32% of CHF patients, associated with older age, female sex, non-white race, and greater comorbidity burden.
  • CHF patients with anemia incurred higher per-member-per-month costs ($1781.01) compared to those without anemia ($1142.38), a ratio of 1.56.
  • After adjusting for demographic and comorbidity factors, the cost ratio remained significant at 1.25, indicating anemia independently increases healthcare costs.

Conclusions:

  • Anemia is a significant independent predictor of increased healthcare expenditure in elderly patients with congestive heart failure.
  • Addressing anemia in CHF patients may lead to substantial cost savings for Medicare.
  • This study highlights the economic impact of anemia as a comorbidity in chronic heart conditions.

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