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Glaucoma-related cost of care highest at diagnosis
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Patients with open-angle glaucoma consume the greatest share of resource during the first 6 months after being diagnosed, according to a study.
The longitudinal cohort study reviewed claims data from 19,927 patients newly diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma to characterize the costs of caring for these patients, as well as the factors that influence the costs.
Related charges were identified with the use of Current Procedural Terminology billing codes and included all visits to ophthalmologists or optometrists, related diagnostic procedures, related laser and incisional surgeries, and all topical and oral IOP-lowering medications. All charges were adjusted by 3% per year, from 2001 to 2009, to account for inflation.
Each patient’s related annual costs were based on the related charges during the first 2 years following open-angle glaucoma diagnosis.
The researchers found that patients in the highest 5% of resource use for glaucoma-related care were more likely to live in the Northeastern United States, be younger, and have undergone cataract surgery and have ocular comorbidities (all P < .006).
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