Ginger Smith Carls

The Relationship Between Modifiable Health Risk Factors and Medical Expenditures, Absenteeism, Short-Term Disability, and Presenteeism Among Employees at Novartis

Objective: To quantify the impact of health risks on medical care and productivity costs in an employed population. Methods: Health risk, medical care, and productivity data were obtained for 5875 Novartis employees in 2005-2006. Factor analysis was performed to identify relationships among health risks. Multiple regression analyses were applied to estimate relationships between combined risk factors and costs. Results: We found a significant and consistent association among three factors (high biometric laboratory values, cigarette and alcohol use, and poor emotional health) and increased presenteeism for both men and women and increased absenteeism for women. Medical care expenditures were 13-22% higher for men and women at risk for the high biometric laboratory values and the emotional health factor. Conclusions: There is a potential for medical and productivity savings for employers able to reduce health risks among their workers.

Long-term medical costs and resource utilization in systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis: A five-year analysis of a large medicaid population

OBJECTIVE To estimate the long-term direct medical costs and health care utilization for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a subset of SLE patients with nephritis. METHODS Patients with newly active SLE were found in the MarketScan Medicaid Database (1999-2005), which includes all inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and pharmaceutical claims for more than 10 million Medicaid beneficiaries. The date a patient became newly active was defined as the earliest observed SLE diagnosis code, with a 6-month clean period prior to the diagnosis. This method identified 2,298 patients with a consecutive followup of 5 years. A reference group of patients without SLE was constructed using propensity score matching. Nephritis was assessed based on diagnosis and procedure codes involving the kidney. RESULTS Mean annual medical costs for SLE patients totaled

Direct and indirect costs to employers of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with and without nephritis.

16,089 at year 1, which is significantly greater (by

The cost burden of oral, oral pharyngeal, and salivary gland cancers in three groups: commercial insurance, medicare, and medicaid

6,831) than that for reference patients. Costs decreased slightly at year 2 but then increased yearly at an average rate of 16% through year 5, to

The direct and indirect cost burden of clinically significant and symptomatic uterine fibroids

23,860. SLE patients without nephritis (n = 1,809) had costs

What are the total costs of surgical treatment for uterine fibroids

967-3,756 higher than the reference patients. SLE patients with nephritis (n = 489) had costs

The relationship between 11 health risks and medical and productivity costs for a large employer.

13,228-34,907 greater than the reference group. Inpatient visits for the nephritis subgroup were 0.6-1.0 per capita, which are approximately twice the rate for all SLE patients and 3 to 4 times higher than the reference group. CONCLUSION SLE is a costly condition to treat. Medical expenses incurred by SLE patients increase steadily over time, particularly for patients with nephritis.

The Economic Value of Specialized Lower-Extremity Medical Care by Podiatric Physicians in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Objectives: To estimate the medical- and productivity-related cost burden of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and SLE with nephritis in an employee population. Methods: Using administrative data, annual costs were calculated for SLE patients, a subset with nephritis, and a matched control group of patients without SLE. These costs were compared with the cost of other chronic conditions. Results: Mean annual medical expenditures and short term disability costs for SLE patients were

The impact of weight gain or loss on health care costs for employees at the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.

12,238 and

The Novartis health index: a method for valuing the economic impact of risk reduction in a workforce.

1184 greater (2005 dollars), respectively, than those of controls. Mean medical expenditures for SLE/nephritis patients were