Claims-based Identification Methods and the Cost of Fall-related Injuries Among US Older Adults.

TitleClaims-based Identification Methods and the Cost of Fall-related Injuries Among US Older Adults.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsHoffman, GJ, Hays, RD, Shapiro, MF, Wallace, SP, Ettner, SL
JournalMed Care
Volume54
Issue7
Pagination664-71
Date Published2016 07
ISSN Number1537-1948
KeywordsAccidental Falls, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cross-Over Studies, Female, Humans, Insurance Claim Review, Male, Medicare, United States, Wounds and Injuries
Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Compare expenditures of fall-related injuries (FRIs) using several methods to identify FRIs in administrative claims data.

RESEARCH DESIGN: Using 2007-2009 Medicare claims and 2008 Health and Retirement Survey data, FRIs were identified using external-cause-of-injury (e-codes 880/881/882/884/885/888) only, e-codes plus a broad set of primary diagnosis codes, and a newer approach using e-codes and diagnostic and procedural codes. Linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, health, and geographic characteristics were used to estimate per-FRI, service component, patient cost share, expenditures by type of initial FRI treatment (inpatient, emergency department only, outpatient), and total annual FRI-related Medicare expenditures.

SUBJECTS: The analysis included 5497 community-dwelling adults ≥65 (228 FRI, 5269 non-FRI individuals) with continuous Medicare coverage and alive during the 24-month study.

RESULTS: The 3 FRI identification methods produced differing distributions of index FRI type and varying estimated expenditures: $12,171 [95% confidence interval (CI), $4662-$19,680], $5648 (95% CI, $3819-$7476), and $9388 (95% CI, $5969-$12,808). In all models, most spending occurred in hospital, outpatient, and skilled nursing facility (SNF) settings, but greater proportions of SNF and outpatient spending were observed with commonly used FRI identification methods. Patient cost-sharing was estimated at $691-$1900 across the 3 methods. Inpatient-treated index FRIs were more expensive than emergency department and outpatient-treated FRIs across all methods, but were substantially higher when identifying FRI using only e-codes. Estimated total FRI-related Medicare expenditures were highly variable across methods.

CONCLUSIONS: FRIs are costly, with implications for Medicare and its beneficiaries. However, expenditure estimates vary considerably based on the method used to identify FRIs.

URLhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27057747
DOI10.1097/MLR.0000000000000531
User Guide Notes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27057747?dopt=Abstract

Alternate JournalMed Care
Citation Key8485
PubMed ID27057747
PubMed Central IDPMC4907826
Grant ListTL1 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