Postoperative Revision, Complication and Economic Outcomes of Patients with Reverse or Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty at One Year: A Retrospective, United States Hospital Billing Database Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Data on the one-year postoperative revision, complication, and economic outcomes in a hospital setting after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) are sparse. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using the Premier Healthcare Database, a hospital-billing data source, evaluated one-year postoperative revision, complication, and economic outcomes of reverse (RTSA) and anatomic (ATSA) TSA for patients who underwent the procedure from 2015 until 2021. All-cause revisits, including revision-related events (categorized as either irrigation and débridement or revision procedures and device removals) and shoulder/non-shoulder complications were collected. The incidences and costs of these revisits were evaluated. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate the associations between patient characteristics and revision and complication occurrences and costs. RESULTS: Among 51,478 RTSA and 34,623 ATSA patients (mean [standard deviation (SD)] ages RTSA 71.5 [8.1] years, ATSA 66.8 [9.0] years), one-year adjusted incidences of all-cause revisits, irrigation/débridement, revision procedures/device removals, and shoulder/non-shoulder complications were RTSA: 45.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): 44.6%-45.5%), 0.1% (95% CI: 0.1%-0.2%), 2.1% (95% CI: 2.0%-2.2%), and 17.8% (95% CI: 17.5%-18.1%) and ATSA: 42.3% (95% CI: 41.8%-42.9%), 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1%-0.2%), 1.9% (95% CI: 1.8%-2.1%), and 14.4% (95% CI: 14.0%-14.8%), respectively; shoulder-related complications were RTSA: 12.4% (95% CI: 12.1%-12.7%) and ATSA: 9.9% (95% CI: 9.6%-10.3%). Significant factors associated with a high risk of revisions and complications included, but were not limited to, chronic comorbidities and noncommercial insurance. Per patient, the mean (SD) total one-year hospital cost was $25,225 ($15,911) and $21,520 ($13,531) for RTSA and ATSA, respectively. Revision procedures and device removals were most costly, averaging $22,920 ($18,652) and $26,911 ($18,619) per procedure for RTSA and ATSA, respectively. Patients with revision-related events with infections had higher total hospital costs than patients without this event (RTSA: $60,887 (95% CI: $56,951-$64,823) and ATSA: $59,478 (95% CI: $52,312-$66,644)), equating to a mean difference of $36,148 with RTSA and $38,426 with ATSA. Significant factors associated with higher costs of revision-related events and complications included age, race, chronic comorbidities, and noncommercial insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 45% RTSA and 42% ATSA patients returned to the hospital, most often for shoulder/non-shoulder complications (overall 17.8% RTSA and 14.4% ATSA, and shoulder-related 12.4% RTSA and 9.9% ATSA). Revisions and device removals were most expensive ($22,920 RTSA and $26,911 ATSA). Infection complications requiring revision had the highest one-year hospital costs (∼$60,000). This study highlights the need for technologies and surgical techniques that may help reduce TSA healthcare utilization and economic burden.

Insurer costs of COVID-19 by disease severity and duration.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze US commercial insurance payments associated with COVID-19 as a function of severity and duration of disease. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, in the Merative MarketScan Commercial database were identified and stratified as having asymptomatic, mild, moderate (with and without lower respiratory disease), or severe/critical (S/C) disease based on the severity of the acute COVID-19 infection. Duration of disease (DOD) was estimated for all patients. Patients with DOD longer than 12 weeks were defined as having post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). Outcomes were all-cause payments (ACP) and disease-specific payments (DSP) for the entire DOD. Variables included demographic and comorbidities at the time of acute disease. Adjusted payments by disease severity were estimated using generalized linear models (γ distribution with log link). RESULTS: A total of 738,339 patients were included (374,401 asymptomatic, 156,220 mild, 180,213 moderate, and 27,505 S/C cases). DSP increased from $217 (95% CI, $214-221) for asymptomatic cases to $2744 (95% CI, $2678-$2811) for moderate cases with lower respiratory disease and $28,250 (95% CI, $26,963-$29,538) for S/C cases. ACP increased from $505 (95% CI, $497-$512) for asymptomatic cases to $46,538 (95% CI, $44,096-$48,979) for S/C cases. The DSP and ACP further increased by $50,736 (95% CI, $45,337-$56,136) and $94,839 (95% CI, $88,029-$101,649), respectively, in S/C cases with PCC vs a DOD of fewer than 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 payments for S/C cases were more than 10-fold greater than those of moderate cases and further increased by nearly $95,000 in S/C cases with PCC vs a DOD of fewer than 4 weeks.

Health care costs of COVID-19 vs influenza and pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate payments for the treatment of COVID-19 compared with that of influenza or viral pneumonia (IP), from the perspective of the US payer. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 during the period from October 1, 2020, to February 1, 2021, or IP during the period from October 1, 2018, to February 1, 2019, in the IBM MarketScan databases were identified. The index was defined as the date of the first COVID-19 or IP diagnosis. Patients with COVID-19 were stratified by severity. Variables for all patients included demographics and comorbidities at the time of index and duration of disease. IP and COVID-19 cohorts were matched using propensity scores, and inflation-adjusted all-cause payments (ACP), and disease-specific payments (DSP) for IP vs COVID-19 were estimated using generalized linear models. RESULTS: Matched cohorts included 6332 Medicare (female, 58.5%; mean [SD] age, 75.3 [7.6] years), and 397,532 commercially insured patients (female, 57.6%; mean [SD] age, 34.7 [16.7] years). ACP and DSP were significantly higher in the COVID-19 cohort vs IP cohort. Payments for severe/critical COVID-19 were significantly greater than those for IP, with adjusted marginal incremental DSP and ACP of $24,852 (95% CI, $21,573-$28,132) and $50,325 (95% CI, $43,932-$56,718), respectively. IP was significantly less expensive than moderate COVID-19 for commercial payers but not Medicare. IP was more expensive than mild COVID-19 for all payers. CONCLUSIONS: Payments associated with severe/critical COVID-19 significantly exceeded those associated with IP. For Medicare, IP was more expensive than mild or moderate COVID-19. For commercial payers, IP was less expensive than moderate COVID-19 but more expensive than mild COVID-19.