Costs of hospital visits among patients with deep vein thrombosis treated with rivaroxaban and LMWH/warfarin. (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Merli, Geno J.; Hollander, Judd E.; Lefebvre, Patrick; Laliberté, François; Raut, Monika K.; Germain, Guillaume; Bookhart, Brahim; Pollack, Charles V.
• Is Part Of: Journal of medical economics. Volume 19:Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 84
• Page End: 90
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: Deep vein thrombosis -- Non-vitamin-K antagonist oral anticoagulant -- Hospitalization -- Costs; Medical care -- Cost control -- Periodicals; Medical economics -- Periodicals; 362.10941
• DOI: 10.3111/13696998.2015.1096274
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-6998

Abstract

Abstract: Background: For many years, the standard of care for patients diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has been low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) bridging to an oral Vitamin-K antagonist (VKA). The availability of new non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOAC) agents as monotherapy may reduce the likelihood of hospitalization for DVT patients. Objective: To compare hospital visit costs of DVT patients treated with rivaroxaban and LMWH/warfarin. Methods: A retrospective claim analysis was conducted using the MarketScan Hospital Drug Database for care provided between January 2011 and December 2013. Adult patients using rivaroxaban or LMWH/warfarin with a primary diagnosis of DVT during the first day of a hospital visit were identified (i.e., index hospital visit). Based on propensity-score methods, historical LMWH/warfarin patients (i.e., patients who received LMWH/warfarin before the approval of rivaroxaban) were matched 4:1 to rivaroxaban patients. The hospital-visit cost difference between these groups was evaluated for the index hospital visit, as well as for total hospital-visit costs (i.e., including index and subsequent hospital visit costs). Results: All rivaroxaban users ( n = 134) in the database were well-matched with four LMWH/warfarin users ( n = 536). The mean hospital-visit costs were $5257 for the rivaroxaban cohort and $6764 in the matched-cohort of patients using LMWH/warfarin. The $1508 cost difference was statistically significant between cohorts (95% CI = [−$2296; −$580]; p -value = 0.002). Total hospital-visit costs were lower for rivaroxaban compared to LMWH/warfarin users within 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after index visit (significantly lower within 1 and 3 months, p -values <0.05) Limitations: Limitations were inherent to administrative-claims data, completeness of baseline characteristics, adjustments restricted to observational factors, and lastly the sample size of the rivaroxaban cohort. Conclusion: The availability of rivaroxaban significantly reduced the costs of hospital visits in patients with DVT treated with rivaroxaban compared to LMWH/warfarin.