Table 3.
Healthcare utilization during follow-up perioda
| Commercially-insured (n =
8,231) |
Medicaid-insured (n =
802) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate/severe SLE (n = 5,551) | Mild SLE (n = 2,680) | Moderate/severe SLE (n = 600) | Mild SLE (n = 202) | |
| Inpatient admissions | ||||
| Patients with an admission, N (%) | 1,434 (25.8) c,d | 395 (14.7)c,d | 342 (57.0)d | 112 (55.4)d |
| Admissions per patient | 0.5 ± 1.3c,d | 0.3 ± 0.9c,d | 1.8 ± 2.9d | 1.8 ± 3.1d |
| Length of stay per admission (all admissions) | 4.4 ± 4.1c,e | 4.0 ± 3.7c,d | 4.8 ± 3.9e | 5.2 ± 5.8d |
| Outpatient visits and services | ||||
| ER visits | ||||
| Patients with a visit, N (%) | 2,502 (45.1)c,d | 933 (34.8)c,d | 499 (83.2)d | 167 (82.7)d |
| Visits per patient | 1.3 ± 3.5c,d | 0.8 ± 1.9c,d | 6.5 ± 10.9d | 6.0 ± 13.3d |
| Outpatient office visits | ||||
| Patients with a visit, N (%) | 5,525 (99.5)e | 2,667 (99.5)d | 593 (98.8)e | 197 (97.5)d |
| Outpatient office visits per patient | 21.2 ± 13.9c | 15.2 ± 10.3c,d | 21.9 ± 14.7f | 18.4 ± 13.1d,f |
| Rheumatology outpatient visits | ||||
| Patients with a visit, N (%) | 4378 (78.9)d | 2153 (80.3)d | 123 (20.5)d,f | 22 (10.9)d,f |
| Visits per patient | 4.4 ± 4.0c,d | 3.0 ± 2.5c,d | 0.9 ± 2.1c,d | 0.3 ± 1.0c,d |
| Dialysis-related outpatient visits | ||||
| Patients with a visit, N (%) | 123 (2.2)d,f | 34 (1.3)f | 31 (5.2)d | 5 (2.5) |
| Visits per patient | 2.2 ± 23.1f | 1.0 ± 12.4f | 1.6 ± 10.3 | 0.7 ± 5.1 |
| Physician-administered medications | ||||
| Patients with a medication, N (%) | 2,486 (44.8)c | 347 (12.9)c | 284 (47.3)c | 35 (17.3)c |
| Medications per patient | 1.9 ± 5.0c | 0.2 ± 1.0c,e | 1.9 ± 4.5c | 0.4 ± 1.3 c,e |
| SLE medications per patientb | 0.0 ± 2.0d | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 1.0 ± 2.0c,d | 0.0 ± 0.0c |
| Other outpatient services (e.g., laboratory, radiology) | ||||
| Patients with other service, N (%) | 5,542 (99.8)f | 2,668 (99.6)f | 600 (100.0) | 202 (100.0) |
| Services per patient | 124.9 ± 120.9c,d | 80.5 ± 80.0c,d | 189.6 ± 170.6d | 179.1 ± 196.8d |
| Outpatient pharmacy | ||||
| Patients with a claim, N (%) | 5,475 (98.6)c,e | 2,680 (100.0)c | 600 (100.0)e | 202 (100.0) |
| Claims per patient | 75.3 ± 55.4c,d | 50.8 ± 41.5c,d | 135.3 ± 94.3d | 131.8 ± 89.8d |
| Claims for SLE medications per patient | 16.0 ± 12.0c | 8.2 ± 5.9c,d | 17.0 ± 13.5c | 6.0 ± 5.9 c,d |
Values are mean ± SD (calculated among all patients), unless otherwise noted. Statistical comparisons were performed (1) between the two severity groups in each payer group, (2) between the two payers for each severity. Only the differences reaching statistical significance (p<0.05) were displayed using specific superscripts.
Physician-administered SLE medications (outpatient) include antimalarials, selected biologics [abatacept, belimumab, and rituximab], immunosuppressants [azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, intravenous immunoglobulin, leflunomide, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid, and tacrolimus], and systemic glucocorticoids.
p<0.001, moderate/severe versus mild SLE within either the commercially-insured or Medicaid population.
p<0.001, moderate/severe commercially-insured versus moderate/severe Medicaid or mild commercially-insured versus mild Medicaid.
p<0.05, moderate/severe commercially-insured versus moderate/severe Medicaid or mild commercially-insured versus mild Medicaid.
p<0.05, moderate/severe versus mild SLE within either the commercially-insured or Medicaid population.
Abbreviations: ER, emergency room; SD, standard deviation; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.