Firearm injuries increase postinjury healthcare utilisation and costs
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Firearm injuries increase postinjury healthcare utilisation and costs Firearm injuries appear to increase healthcare utilisation and costs during the following 6 months, according to findings of a US study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Data for Blue Cross Blue Shield members in five US states were used to compare healthcare utilisation in costs during the 6 months before and 6 months after firearm injuries sustained between 2015 and 2017. Overall, 2019 members with firearm injuries were included in the analysis and made a total of 19 440 claims. Initial Emergency Department (ED) costs for patients with firearm injuries who were discharged from the ED totalled $8 158 786 ($5686 per member), and initial hospital costs for those who required hospitalisation totalled $41 255 916 ($70 644 per member). Healthcare costs per member increased from $3984 during the 6 months before the firearm injury to $17 806 during the 6 months after the injury in patients who were discharged from the ED, and from $4118 to $92 151, respectively, in patients who were hospitalised. Out-of-pocket costs increased by 133% and 644%, respectively, and the number of health insurance plan claims increased by 187% and 608%, respectively. "We found that in the 6 months after a firearm injury, patient-level health care visits and costs increased by 3 to 20 times compared with the 6 months before it," concluded the authors. "These findings add to the existing body of literature indicating that the burden of firearm injury on our health care system is large and quantifiable and can inform the prioritization of prevention strategies promoted by medical, health care, and public health professional organizations," they commented. Ranney ML, et al. Increases in Actual Health Care Costs and Claims After Firearm Injury. Annals of Internal Medicine : 29 Sep 2020. Available from: URL: https:// doi.org/10.7326/M20-0323
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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 17 Oct 2020 No. 864
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