Medicare Fee-For-Service Spending for Fall Injury and Nonfall Events: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Economics
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Fall injuries are common in older adults.
• The impact of fall injuries on Medicare spending is not well understood.
• This study investigates spending differences after fracture and nonfracture fall injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if fall injuries, including nonfracture (NFFI) and fractures, are associated with higher Medicare spending.
• To compare 12-month spending after fall injuries versus non-fall events in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study (N=1,595 older adults).
• Identified incident fall injuries (N=448) using Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) claims.
• Compared monthly FFS spending 12 months before and after fall injuries versus matched non-fall events using generalized linear regression.

Main Results:

• Monthly spending significantly increased after fall injuries (NFFI and fractures) compared to before.
• However, adjusted analyses showed no significant difference in spending increases between fall injuries and non-fall events.
• Spending increases after fracture injuries were similar to those after NFFI.

Conclusions:

• While fall injuries cause substantial spending increases, they are not significantly higher than spending after non-fall events.
• Fracture and nonfracture fall injuries have similar impacts on subsequent healthcare spending.
• Findings inform research on healthcare costs associated with fall injuries in older adults.