Medical resource use and costs of congestive heart failure after carvedilol use

• Published in: Heart disease (Hagerstown, Md.) Vol. 4; no. 2; p. 70
• Main Authors: Najib, Mohammad M, Goldberg Arnold, Renée J, Kaniecki, Diana J, Pettit, Krista G, Roth, David, Antell, Laura, Xuan, Jianwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-03-2002
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - economics; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - therapeutic use; Adult; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors - economics; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Carbazoles - economics; Carbazoles - therapeutic use; Cardiology - economics; Case-Control Studies; Cohort Studies; Cost of Illness; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Expenditures; Health Resources - economics; Heart Failure - drug therapy; Heart Failure - economics; Humans; Length of Stay - economics; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Patient Admission - economics; Propanolamines - economics; Propanolamines - therapeutic use; Retrospective Studies; Sex Factors; Stroke Volume - drug effects; Treatment Outcome; United States - epidemiology; United States
• ISSN: 1521-737X
• DOI: 10.1097/00132580-200203000-00003

A retrospective cohort study based on claims and medical chart data was conducted to compare healthcare use and costs in congestive heart failure patients with and without carvedilol. Adult patients with a minimum of two claims with a valid congestive heart failure diagnosis from 1997 to 1999 were included. Patients receiving continuous carvedilol treatment for at least 4 months were considered study case patients. Case patients were matched based on age, gender, race, and concomitant medication. Healthcare use and costs were compared between the case and control groups. A total of 128 case and 147 control patients were identified. There were no significant differences in demographic characteristics, concomitant medication, or New York Heart Association classification between these two groups. Analysis of variance and chi-square analyses were conducted for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Statistical adjustments were made using a multivariate model. Carvedilol had a significant economic reduction in the overall expenditures by approximately $14,530. Facility expenditures were approximately $9,000 lower for the carvedilol group than for the control group. Carvedilol-treated patients had less frequent hospital admissions and shorter lengths of stay compared with patients not receiving carvedilol. Congestive heart failure patients receiving carvedilol have significantly less healthcare use and costs than patients not receiving carvedilol.