Predictors of latent tuberculosis infection treatment completion in the US private sector: an analysis of administrative claims data

• Published in: BMC public health 2018-05, Vol.18 (1), p.662-662, Article 662
• Main Authors: Stockbridge, Erica L, Miller, Thaddeus L, Carlson, Erin K, Ho, Christine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administrative data; Adolescent; Adult; Age; Antidepressants; Antitubercular Agents - therapeutic use; Asthma; Bivariate analysis; Care and treatment; Child; Child, Preschool; Claims data; Control; Control methods; Data; Diabetes; Epidemiology; Female; Health care; Health care industry; Health care policy; Health insurance; Health maintenance organizations; Health services; HIV; HMOs; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immunosuppressive agents; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infections; Insurance; Insurance Claim Review; Interferon; Isoniazid; Latent Tuberculosis - drug therapy; Latent Tuberculosis - epidemiology; Latent tuberculosis infection; Logit models; LTBI; Male; Medical treatment; Medicare; Middle Aged; Patient compliance; Patient Compliance - statistics & numerical data; Patients; Pharmacy; Poverty; Private sector; Private Sector - statistics & numerical data; Psychotropic drugs; Public health; Quality; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Schizophrenia; Services; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic Factors; Treatment completion; Tuberculosis; United States - epidemiology; Variables; Young Adult; γ-Interferon
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-5578-3

Factors that affect latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment completion in the US have not been well studied beyond public health settings. This gap was highlighted by recent health insurance-related regulatory changes that are likely to increase LTBI treatment by private sector healthcare providers. We analyzed LTBI treatment completion in the private healthcare setting to facilitate planning around this important opportunity for tuberculosis (TB) control in the US. We analyzed a national sample of commercial insurance medical and pharmacy claims data for people ages 0 to 64 years who initiated daily dose isoniazid treatment between July 2011 and March 2014 and who had complete data. All individuals resided in the US. Factors associated with treatment completion were examined using multivariable generalized ordered logit models and bivariate Kruskal-Wallis tests or Spearman correlations. We identified 1072 individuals with complete data who initiated isoniazid LTBI treatment. Treatment completion was significantly associated with less restrictive health insurance, age