Background/Purpose:  Osteoarthritis is characterized by symptoms related to abnormalities in joints, subchondral bones and periarticular structures. In the United States, it was estimated that twenty-seven million adults suffered from osteoarthritis in 2005. The objectives of this study were to determine incremental health care resource utilization and incremental health care expenditures, associated with Osteoarthritis.

Methods: An observational database analysis was conducted using information from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Individuals 18 years of age or older and employed during 2011 were eligible for inclusion in the sample for analyses. Individuals were identified with Osteoarthritis diagnosis based on ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. Out of a sample of 26,992 individuals, 1,354 were diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Using sampling weights provided, individuals with osteoarthritis were compared to individuals without osteoarthritis on health care resource utilization and expenditures.

Results: Compared to individuals with osteoarthritis, significantly lower mean unadjusted hospitalizations (0.24 v 0.09, p<0.001), mean unadjusted outpatient room visits (12.93 v 4.89, p<0.001) and mean unadjusted emergency room visits (0.33 v 0.22, p<0.001) were observed among those without osteoarthritis. Compared to individuals with osteoarthritis, significantly lower mean unadjusted inpatient expenditures ($3,563 v $1,1,91 p<0.001), mean unadjusted outpatient expenditures ($3,242 v $1,223, p<0.001), mean unadjusted emergency room expenditures ($295 v $ 187, p<0.001), and mean unadjusted medication expenditures ($2,336 v $962, p<0.001) and mean unadjusted total expenditure ($9651 v $3,415, p<0.001) were observed among those without osteoarthritis. Incremental health care resource utilization examined included annual hospitalization, annual hospital days, annual emergency room visits, annual outpatient visits. Incremental health expenditures examined included annual inpatient expenditures, annual outpatient expenditures, annual emergency room expenditures, annual miscellaneous expenditures, annual medication expenditures and annual total expenditures. Incremental resource utilization and incremental resource expenditures were estimated using regression models, adjusting for other covariates including age, gender, sex, region, marital status, insurance coverage, comorbidities, anxiety, asthma, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Multivariate regression models revealed incremental mean annual resource use associated with osteoarthritis of 70 additional hospitalizations per 100 osteoarthritic patients annually, and 363 additional visits per 100 osteoarthritic patients annually. Mean annual incremental total expenditures associated with osteoarthritis were $2,046. Mean annual incremental expenditures were largest for inpatient expenditures at $826, followed by mean annual incremental outpatient expenditures of $659, and mean annual incremental medication expenditures of $325.

Conclusion: Osteoarthritis was associated with considerable incremental health care resource utilization and expenditures.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/incremental-direct-expenditures-due-to-osteoarthritis-a-nationally-representative-study-using-medical-expenditure-panel-survey-data/