Association Between Positive Airway Pressure Adherence and Health Care Costs Among Individuals With OSA

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Health Economics
• Clinical Research

Background:

• The economic impact of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains unclear.
• Understanding the relationship between PAP adherence and healthcare costs is vital for resource allocation and patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between positive airway pressure (PAP) adherence and 3-year healthcare costs in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
• To stratify PAP adherence into distinct groups and analyze their corresponding healthcare expenditures.

Main Methods:

• Participants with OSA from the Tele-OSA clinical trial were categorized into high, moderate, and low PAP adherence groups based on nightly usage over 3 years.
• Healthcare costs were derived from electronic health records over a 33-month post-trial follow-up period.
• Multivariable generalized linear models were employed to analyze covariate-adjusted healthcare costs across adherence groups.

Main Results:

• Out of 543 participants, adherence levels were: high (25%), moderate (22%), and low (52%).
• The high PAP adherence group exhibited the lowest average 3-year healthcare costs ($3,207 ± $251), significantly lower than the low adherence group ($4,040 ± $304).
• A significant cost reduction of $832 was observed between high and low PAP adherence groups.

Conclusions:

• Improved positive airway pressure (PAP) adherence in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients is linked to substantially lower 3-year healthcare costs.
• These findings underscore the importance of implementing strategies to enhance and maintain long-term PAP therapy adherence for economic benefits.