Evaluating increased resource use in fibromyalgia using electronic health records

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Health Services Research
• Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

• Fibromyalgia (FM) management is challenging, with patients exhibiting high healthcare resource utilization.
• Understanding drivers of this utilization is crucial for optimizing care and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore potential drivers of all-cause healthcare resource utilization in patients with fibromyalgia.
• To identify factors associated with high resource use in FM patients using electronic health records (EHR).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of de-identified EHR data from the Humedica database.
• Inclusion of adults (≥18 years) with FM diagnosed between 2008-2012, requiring 12 months of continuous care pre- and post-index.
• Multivariable analysis to evaluate relationships between variables and resource utilization.

Main Results:

• Physician office visits and medication orders were the primary drivers of healthcare utilization.
• Opioid prescriptions were common (44.3%); African-Americans and patients with comorbidities (e.g., congestive heart failure) showed increased resource use.
• Female patients and those with specific comorbidities had significantly increased medication orders.

Conclusions:

• Physician visits and pharmacotherapy are key contributors to healthcare utilization in FM.
• Demographics, opioid use, and comorbidities are associated with higher resource intensity.
• EHR data can assist health systems in identifying and managing high-resource FM patients.