Association Between Work Absence and Health Services Utilization and Costs Among Employed Individuals With Arthritis

To evaluate whether work absence is associated with increased health services utilization and health care costs among employed individuals with arthritis.

This was a retrospective cross-sectional study using pooled data from the 2011 to 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Employed individuals with arthritis were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9) codes and Clinical Classification code. Generalized linear models were used to analyze utilization and costs outcomes.

Individuals with arthritis who reported work absences had greater odds of having a hospitalization event (odds ratio [OR]: 9.198, P < 0.001), higher number of ambulatory care visits (β = 0.549, P < 0.001), and had higher total health care costs (β = 0.40, P < 0.001) and arthritis-related costs (β = 0.035, P < 0.0002) compared with individuals without work absences.

Among employed individuals with arthritis, self-reported work absence is associated with significantly higher health care utilization and health care costs.