ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To describe treatment patterns and healthcare burden among individuals with suspected pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), as identified through a practice guideline-based healthcare claims algorithm. METHODS: Adults with evidence of PAH from 1 January 2004 (commercial and Medicaid) or 1 July 2006 (Medicare Advantage) through 30 June 2008 were identified. Given the lack of an ICD-9 code for PAH, an algorithm was developed requiring: (1) ≥ 1 claim for PAH medication (index date); (2) ≥ 1 claim with a pulmonary hypertension diagnosis code in the 6-month pre-index period (baseline) or within 90 days post-index; (3) a right heart catheterization or pulmonary hypertension-related inpatient stay during baseline or within 90 days post-index; and (4) continuous health plan enrollment for 6 months pre-index and ≥ 6 months post-index. Patients with PAH-specific medications during baseline were excluded. Treatment patterns, healthcare utilization, and costs were assessed during the period ending with the earlier of health plan disenrollment or 31 December 2008. RESULTS: Among the 521 included patients, 69% were female. Most patients (94%) initiated treatment with monotherapy (most commonly sildenafil or bosentan), and 12.7% of all patients augmented their therapy by the end of the observation period. The medication possession ratio was 0.96 each for ambrisentan (SD=0.04), bosentan (SD=0.04), and sildenafil (SD=0.05). Overall, 72.6% of patients discontinued therapy with a mean of 149 (SD=170) days until discontinuation. A mean (SD) of 2.14 (1.82) all-cause office and 1.64 (1.98) outpatient visits occurred per patient per month. Mean PAH-related healthcare costs were $6617 per patient per month, comprising 71% of all-cause costs. The guideline-based algorithm may not have perfectly captured patients with PAH. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with suspected PAH were likely to initiate treatment with oral monotherapy, had high compliance rates, and received close ambulatory follow-up. PAH-related costs constituted the majority of all-cause healthcare costs.
