High Healthcare Costs for Patients Before Neurostimulator Implantation

Source: ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR

Summary

This study looked at the healthcare use and costs for people with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who were enrolled in Medicaid and received a neurostimulator implant. Researchers analyzed data from 2,469 patients who had evidence of DRE and underwent the procedure between 2011 and 2020. They focused on the two years before the implantation to understand how often these patients used healthcare services and what their medical expenses were.

The findings showed that patients with DRE had significant healthcare needs. On average, they were prescribed about 4 different antiseizure medications and many had to visit the hospital or emergency department frequently. Specifically, 57% had at least one hospital admission and 82.9% visited the emergency department at least once. The total healthcare costs for these patients averaged over $117,000, with nearly $48,000 specifically related to their epilepsy care.

These results highlight the high level of healthcare use and costs associated with managing drug-resistant epilepsy before patients receive neurostimulator implants. Understanding these patterns can help improve access to specialized care, which may include better imaging and treatment options. However, the study has limitations, such as focusing only on Medicaid enrollees, which may not represent all individuals with epilepsy. Further research is needed to explore the benefits of enhanced epilepsy care.

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