Direct costs of COPD in the U.S.: An analysis of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a costly cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. The objective of this study was to use contemporary national data - specifically, those from the 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) - to estimate direct costs of COPD in the U.S. from an all-payer perspective. Due to constraints of MEPS data, indirect costs were excluded from our analyses, as were costs of long-term oxygen therapy and costs from nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Two methods of cost estimation were employed. First, we estimated resources used and expenditures incurred by individuals with COPD that were directly attributable to the disease ( attributable cost approach). Second, we compared overall medical expenditures of patients with COPD to those of the non-COPD population; the resulting difference represented excess costs of COPD. Approximately 1.7% (n = 144) of the nearly 8,300 persons in the analysis data set aged ≥ 45 years used medical resources and incurred expenditures related to treatment of COPD. Mean attributable costs per patient were estimated at $2,507, with more than one-half of these costs ($1,365) associated with hospitalization. Mean excess costs of COPD, after adjustment for sociodemographic factors and smoking status, were substantially higher, at $4,932 per patient. Results of our study indicate that COPD-associated healthcare utilization and expenditures are considerable, and that annual per-patient costs of COPD are comparable to those of other chronic diseases of the middle-aged and elderly. Copyright © 2005 Taylor & Francis Inc.