Table 2.
Healthcare resource utilization for the third year post-index
| Patient cohort | High Dose CS (HD) | Medium Dose CS (MD) |
Low Dose CS (LD) | No-steroid Dose (NS) | p- value (HD vs. LD) |
p- value (MD vs. LD) |
p- valu e (NS vs. LD) |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (N = 163) | (N = 1,127) | (N = 6,717) | (N = 10,611) | ||||||||||||
|
PHARMACY SERVICES (NDC codes) |
|||||||||||||||
| Corticosteroids (n %) | 105 | 64.4% | 779 | 69.1% | 2,764 | 41.1% | 1,676 | 15.8% | * | * | * | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
3.3 + 4.1 |
2 | 3.8 + 4.3 |
2 | 1.0 + 2.0 |
0 | 0.3 + 0.9 |
0 | * | * | * | ||||
| Immunosuppressants (n, %) |
50 | 30.7% | 374 | 33.2% | 522 | 7.8% | 434 | 4.1% | * | * | * | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
1.6 + 3.4 |
0 | 2.2 + 4.1 |
0 | 0.4 + 1.9 |
0 | 0.2 + 1.5 |
0 | * | * | * | ||||
| Cyclophosphamide (n, %) |
2 | 1.2% | 5 | 0.4% | 1 | 0.0% | 3 | 0.0% | † | † | |||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.1 + 1.6 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.3 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.2 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | * | † | |||||
| Mycophenolate mofetil (n, %) |
32 | 19.6% | 220 | 19.5% | 268 | 4.0% | 234 | 2.2% | * | * | * | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.9 + 2.2 |
0 | 1.1 + 2.8 |
0 | 0.2 + 1.1 |
0 | 0.1 + 0.9 |
0 | * | * | * | ||||
| Anti-malarials (n, %) | 78 | 47.9% | 642 | 57.0% | 3,175 | 47.3% | 3,950 | 37.2% | * | * | |||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
3.0 + 3.9 |
0 | 3.4 + 4.1 |
2 | 2.7 + 3.7 |
0 | 2.1 + 3.5 |
0 | * | * | |||||
| Biologics (n, %) | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | |||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | ||||||
| NSAIDs (n, %) | 48 | 29.4% | 322 | 28.6% | 2,499 | 37.2% | 2,695 | 25.4% | † | * | * | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.8 + 1.8 |
0 | 1.2 + 2.7 |
0 | 1.4 + 2.7 |
0 | 0.9 + 2.2 |
0 | † | † | * | ||||
| All other pharmacy (n, %) |
158 | 96.9% | 1,090 | 96.7% | 6,400 | 95.3% | 8,886 | 83.7% | † | * | |||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
42.1 + 39.9 |
28 | 40.7 + 36.2 |
30 | 34.4 + 32.8 |
25 | 22.5 + 26.5 |
14 | † | * | * | ||||
|
EMERGENCY ROOM SERVICES (n, %) |
64 | 39.3% | 378 | 33.5% | 1,996 | 29.7% | 2,381 | 22.4% | † | † | * | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
1.0 + 2.1 |
0 | 0.8 + 2.4 |
0 | 0.6 + 1.9 |
0 | 0.4 + 1.7 |
0 | † | † | * | ||||
|
OUTPATIENT SERVICES (n, %) |
|||||||||||||||
| Physician office visits (n, %) |
160 | 98.2% | 1,108 | 98.3% | 6,557 | 97.6% | 10,140 | 95.6% | * | ||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
22.8 + 30.8 |
13 | 18.6 + 20.9 |
13 | 15.7 + 16.4 |
11 | 12.8 + 17.2 |
8 | * | * | * | ||||
| Rheumatology (n, %) |
52 | 31.9% | 445 | 39.5% | 2,240 | 33.3% | 2,651 | 25.0% | * | * | |||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
1.0 + 2.1 |
0 | 1.4 + 2.4 |
0 | 1.0 + 1.8 |
0 | 0.6 + 1.4 |
0 | * | * | |||||
| All others (n, %) | 159 | 97.5% | 1,096 | 97.2% | 6,517 | 97.0% | 10,089 | 95.1% | * | ||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
21.8 + 30.5 |
12 | 17.2 + 20.8 |
11 | 14.7 + 16.3 |
10 | 12.2 + 17.1 |
8 | * | * | * | ||||
| Laboratory and pathology (n, %) |
157 | 96.3% | 1,079 | 95.7% | 6,259 | 93.2% | 9,491 | 89.4% | † | * | |||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
45.2 + 48.4 |
34 | 39.1 + 40.6 |
28 | 25.4 + 27.4 |
19 | 20.3 + 26.2 |
14 | * | * | * | ||||
| Radiology examinations (n, %) |
135 | 82.8% | 872 | 77.4% | 5,243 | 78.1% | 7,678 | 72.4% | * | ||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
5.8 + 10.1 |
3 | 4.3 + 7.0 |
2 | 4.0 + 5.5 |
2 | 3.2 + 5.4 |
2 | * | * | |||||
| Surgical services (n, %) |
98 | 60.1% | 622 | 55.2% | 3,722 | 55.4% | 4,851 | 45.7% | * | ||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
2.6 + 4.4 |
1 | 2.0 + 3.6 |
1 | 1.9 + 3.3 |
1 | 1.4 + 2.8 |
0 | † | * | |||||
| Ancillary services (n, %) |
157 | 96.3% | 1,075 | 95.4% | 6,251 | 93.1% | 9,584 | 90.3% | † | * | |||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
33.0 + 62.8 |
14 | 20.7 + 31.9 |
11 | 14.6 + 20.9 |
8 | 11.8 + 23.9 |
6 | * | * | * | ||||
| Dialysis (n, %) | 8 | 4.9% | 13 | 1.2% | 43 | 0.6% | 57 | 0.5% | * | ||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
1.5 + 11.8 |
0 | 1.4 + 15.9 |
0 | 0.3 + 6.4 |
0 | 0.4 + 8.8 |
0 | † | * | |||||
| HCPCS SERVICES (J codes) |
|||||||||||||||
| Corticosteroids (n, %) | 42 | 25.8% | 347 | 30.8% | 2,217 | 33.0% | 2,110 | 19.9% | * | ||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.7 + 2.0 |
0 | 0.8 + 2.0 |
0 | 0.8 + 1.7 |
0 | 0.4 + 1.4 |
0 | * | ||||||
| Immunosuppressants (n, %) |
6 | 3.7% | 32 | 2.8% | 32 | 0.5% | 22 | 0.2% | † | * | † | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.1 + 0.7 |
0 | 0.1 + 1.1 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.2 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.4 |
0 | * | * | |||||
| Cyclophosphamide (n, %) |
4 | 2.5% | 20 | 1.8% | 19 | 0.3% | 13 | 0.1% | † | * | † | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.1 + 0.4 |
0 | 0.1 + 0.6 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.2 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.2 |
0 | † | * | |||||
| Mycophenolate mofetil (n, %) |
1 | 0.6% | 6 | 0.5% | 10 | 0.1% | 5 | 0.0% | † | † | |||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.0 + 0.1 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.4 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.1 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.1 |
0 | † | ||||||
| Anti-malarials (n, %) | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% | |||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | |||||||
| Biologics (n, %) | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | |||||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | 0.0 + 0.0 |
0 | |||||||
| All other HCPCS (n, %) |
77 | 47.2% | 502 | 44.5% | 2,637 | 39.3% | 2,989 | 28.2% | † | † | * | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
4.9 + 11.6 |
0 | 5.5 + 21.4 |
0 | 2.9 + 12.6 |
0 | 2.2 + 15.1 |
0 | * | † | |||||
|
NUMBER OF INPATIENT HOSPITALIZATIONS |
|||||||||||||||
| One or more hospitalizations (n, %) |
35 | 21.5% | 198 | 17.6% | 828 | 12.3% | 1,007 | 9.5% | † | * | * | ||||
| Mean + SD, Median |
0.7 + 2.4 |
0 | 0.4 + 1.2 |
0 | 0.2 + 0.7 |
0 | 0.1 + 0.7 |
0.7 | 0 | * | * | * | |||
| Total Days (Mean + SD, Median) |
6.1 + 21.6 |
0 | 2.2 + 10.0 |
0 | 1.2 + 9.1 |
0 | 0.9 + 6.5 |
0 | * | † | † | ||||
Abbreviations. HCPCS=Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System
*
=p<0.0001
†
=p<0.05