Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and the cost of treatment

• Published in: Kardiyovasküler tıp e dergisi 2016-06, Vol.4 (2), p.27-32
• Main Authors: Jan, Azam, Shah, S. Mumtaz Anwar, Rehman, Somaiya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardiomyopathy; Health care expenditures; Health care policy; Heart; Home health care; Medicaid; Medicare; Nursing homes; Patients; Teaching hospitals
• ISSN: 2147-1924; 2147-1924
• DOI: 10.15511/ejcm.16.00231

Objective: To evaluate the demographics of patients admitted with Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardio-Myopathy (HOCM) and the financial burden of this disease on the health care system. Methods: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), sponsored by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ), includes the largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States of America. HCUP creates the National In-patient Sample data (NIS) to help conduct national and regional analyses of inpatient care. Using the NIS data (2013), we performed a retrospective cohort study that involved patients who were admitted and treated for HOCM. Results: A total of 2605 patients were admitted for the principal diagnosis of HOCM in 2013.Mean hospitalization was 4.9 days. In our total population, 33% of the patients were above 64 years of age. Mean cost of admission was 25,433$. Private insurance and Medicare or Medicaid paid for 43% and 47% admissions respectively. 76%, 3.5%, 4.6% and 13% patients were discharged to routinely home, another short term hospital, nursing home and for home health care, respectively. Conclusions: HOCM admissions are relatively uncommon but effects all ages. Most of these patients were treated at a private hospital, and the hospital costs were very high. Large number of patients required rehabilitation services after discharge which increase financial burden on health care system.