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Impact of age and procedure on resource use for patients with ischemic heart disease

Kazuaki Kuwabara1, Yuichi Imanaka, Shinya Matsuda

  • 1Kyushu University, Graduate School of Medical Science, 3-1-1 Maidashi Higashiku, Fukuoka 812-8512, Japan. kazu228@basil.ocn.ne.jp

Health Policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|September 11, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Age has a minor effect on healthcare costs for ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients compared to medical procedures. Procedures significantly impact healthcare spending more than patient age.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Health Economics
  • Healthcare Management

Background:

  • Understanding the impact of patient demographics, such as age, on healthcare expenditures is crucial for resource allocation.
  • Previous studies have not adequately controlled for disease severity and specific medical procedures when assessing age-related healthcare costs.
  • Ischemic heart disease (IHD) represents a significant burden on healthcare systems, making it a relevant focus for cost analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between age and healthcare resource utilization in patients treated for ischemic heart disease (IHD).
  • To assess the independent effect of age on length of stay (LOS) and total charges (TC) in acute care settings.
  • To determine if age influences high outliers in LOS and TC, controlling for disease severity and procedures.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 19,874 IHD patients across 174 academic and community hospitals.
  • Categorization of patients into three age groups: under 65, 65-74, and 75 years or older.
  • Multivariate analysis to determine the independent impact of age on LOS, TC, and high outliers, considering procedures and illness severity.

Main Results:

  • The study included 39.6% of patients under 65, 36.1% between 65-74, and 24.3% aged 75+.
  • Treatment proportions for angina and non-medical interventions showed minor variations across age groups.
  • Procedures like coronary artery bypass graft surgery and percutaneous intracoronary intervention were significantly associated with higher total charges, particularly high outliers, more so than age.

Conclusions:

  • Age demonstrates a modest influence on healthcare resource use for IHD patients when compared to the impact of specific medical procedures.
  • Healthcare policy decisions regarding spending should prioritize the significant cost drivers associated with medical interventions.
  • The findings underscore the need to focus on procedural costs rather than solely on patient age when managing healthcare expenditures for IHD.
Abstract

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