A small number of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients make up a large amount of all glaucoma-related costs: The costliest 5% of patients receiving glaucoma-related care were responsible for a whopping $10,202,871—almost 25% of all costs, according to a study published in September’s American Journal of Ophthalmology.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center reviewed claims data from 19,927 newly diagnosed OAG patients enrolled in a large U.S. managed care network to identify glaucoma-related charges for all OAG patients from 2001 to 2009.
The researchers identified risk factors associated with the costliest patients, including:
- Younger age.
- Living in the northeastern United States.
- Undergoing cataract surgery.
- Having other eye conditions.
They also identified a “spike” in the mean costs. Within two years of diagnosis, 37.8% of all glaucoma-related charges were incurred in the first six months.
Identifying these patterns and patient characteristics is just the first step in finding ways to reduce the disease burden and costs associated with the care of the patients, the study authors concluded.
In the meantime, “the importance of continuing education cannot be overemphasized,” says co-author David Musch, Ph.D., M.P.H. “Keeping current on results from key clinical trials by reading the peer-reviewed literature and not just relying on advertisements is crucial. All eye care providers, whether ophthalmologists or optometrists, need to base their treatment decisions on evidence that treatment is necessary.”
Stein JD, Niziol LM, Musch DC, et al. Longitudinal trends in resource use in an incident cohort of open-angle glaucoma patients: resource use in open-angle glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol. Sep 2012;154(3):452-459.
