Cost Saving

WASHINGTON — An accelerated, nationally organized plan to eliminate hepatitis C virus in the United States could save more than 90,000 lives and nearly $60 billion by 2050, according to a health economics expert at The Liver Meeting.

The 30‐day cost burden of transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair has declined since 2014 due to a shorter index length of stay; however, CV readmissions and readmission costs have remained steady, researchers reported.

The No Surprises Act, which officially took effect Jan. 1 as a way to protect patients from unexpected medical bills, already faces several lawsuits from health care organizations.

Compared to current practices of annual screening for hepatitis C virus in men who have sex with men, working toward reducing their risk and screening every 6 months could prove cost effective, according to a presentation.

In an economic analysis from the PARTNER 3 trial, transcatheter aortic valve replacement was economically dominant compared with surgery at 2 years in patients with severe aortic stenosis at low surgical risk.

Health care spending on CVD increased to $320 billion in 2016, with treatment for hypertension, hyperlipidemia and atrial fibrillation/flutter being the primary drivers, according to data published in Circulation.

More than 5 years after the first FDA approval of a biosimilar, the U.S. health care system has yet to realize the full potential of these products to reduce drug costs and increase access to hematology/oncology treatments.

Participants in the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial’s counter-weight plus intervention had a higher diabetes remission rate and were projected to have lower lifetime health care costs compared with controls, according to study data.

Single-use pedicle screw systems may be cost-effective alternatives for spinal fusion surgery compared to conventional systems with re-sterilizable surgical instruments, according to published results.

The Modifier-25 same-day exams during anti-VEGF therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration reduced treatment and travel costs at the patient and population levels, according to an expert at the virtual American Society of Retina Specialists meeting.