Title | The Costs of Fall-Related Injuries among Older Adults: Annual Per-Faller, Service Component, and Patient Out-of-Pocket Costs. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Hoffman, GJ, Hays, RD, Shapiro, MF, Wallace, SP, Ettner, SL |
Journal | Health Serv Res |
Volume | 52 |
Issue | 5 |
Pagination | 1794-1816 |
Date Published | 2017 10 |
ISSN Number | 1475-6773 |
Keywords | Accidental Falls, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Female, Financing, Personal, Health Expenditures, Health Services, Humans, Male, Medicare, Models, Econometric, Sex Factors, Socioeconomic factors, United States, Wounds and Injuries |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To estimate expenditures for fall-related injuries (FRIs) among older Medicare beneficiaries. DATA SOURCES: The 2007-2009 Medicare claims and 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data for 5,497 (228 FRI and 5,269 non-FRI) beneficiaries. STUDY DESIGN: FRIs were indicated by inpatient/outpatient ICD-9 diagnostic codes for fractures, trauma, dislocations, and by e-codes. A pre-post comparison group design was used to estimate the differential change in pre-post expenditures for the FRI relative to the non-FRI cohort (FRI expenditures). Out-of-pocket (OOP) costs, service category total annual FRI-related Medicare expenditures, expenditures related to the type of initial FRI treatment (inpatient, ED, outpatient), and the risk of persistently high expenditures (4th quartile for each post-FRI quarter) were estimated. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Estimated FRI expenditures were $9,389 (95 percent CI: $5,969-$12,808). Inpatient, physician/outpatient, skilled nursing facility, and home health comprised 31, 18, 39, and 12 percent of the total. OOP costs were $1,363.0 (95 percent CI: $889-$1,837). Expenditures for FRIs initially treated in inpatient/ED/outpatient settings were $21,424/$6,142/$8,622. The FRI cohort had a 64 percent increased risk of persistently high expenditures. Total Medicare expenditures were $13 billion (95 percent CI: $9-$18 billion). CONCLUSIONS: FRIs are associated with substantial, persistent Medicare expenditures. Cost-effectiveness of multifactorial falls prevention programs should be assessed using these expenditure estimates. |
DOI | 10.1111/1475-6773.12554 |
User Guide Notes | |
Alternate Journal | Health Serv Res |
Citation Key | 8686 |
PubMed ID | 27581952 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC5583303 |
Grant List | TL1 TR000121 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States U2C CA186878 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States P20 MD000182 / MD / NIMHD NIH HHS / United States P30 AG021684 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States T32 HS000046 / HS / AHRQ HHS / United States |