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Patient demographics and health plan paid costs in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
Author(s) -
Guptill Jeffrey T.,
Bromberg Mark B.,
Zhu Li,
Sharma Bal K.,
Thompson Amy R.,
Krueger Andrew,
Sanders Donald B.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.24109
Subject(s) - chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy , medicine , pharmacy , health plan , prednisone , health care , demographics , physical therapy , family medicine , emergency medicine , immunology , demography , antibody , sociology , economics , economic growth
: We determined health plan paid costs and healthcare resource usage of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Methods : CIDP patients from 9 U.S. commercial health plans with claims in 2011 were identified from the Accordant Health Services claims database. We examined demographics, prevalence of comorbidities, prescribed drugs, place of service, and mean annual health plan paid costs per patient. Results : From 6.5 million covered lives, 73 (56% men; mean age 47) met study entry criteria. The most prescribed therapies were intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) (26% of patients), gabapentin (26%), and prednisone (16%). The annual health plan paid cost was $56,953. Pharmacy cost was the major cost driver (57% of the total), and IVIg totaled 90% of the pharmacy costs. Conclusions : Healthcare costs for CIDP patients are substantial, with a large burden in pharmacy usage. Studies are needed to determine optimal long‐term treatment strategies for CIDP, particularly related to IVIg. Muscle Nerve 50 : 47–51, 2014