Previous investigation has suggested that the direct cost of medical care for the 24,011 reported patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) may be as high as $147,000 per patient. To evaluate the use and cost of medical services for patients with AIDS in Massachusetts, we performed a one-year cost of illness study of 45 AIDS patients. Sociodemographic and clinical data as well as information on medical utilization were obtained from review of outpatient and hospital records. Patients with AIDS required a mean of 3.3 (+/- 3.2) hospitalizations per year and 18.4 (+/- 21.8) ambulatory visits per year. Overall, medical costs averaged $46,505 +/- $38,720 per patient per year, with 91% of these expenditures related to use of inpatient services. These results suggest that the cost of medical care for AIDS patients may be substantially less than previously estimated.
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Am J Manag Care
January 2025
Health Economics Resource Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 795 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Email:
Objectives: Unused medical appointments affect both patient care and clinic operations, and the frequency of cancellations due to clinic reasons is underreported. The prevalence of these unused appointments in primary care in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VA) is unknown. This study examined the prevalence of unused primary care appointments and compared the relative frequency of cancellations and no-shows for patient and clinic reasons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Manag Care
January 2025
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, 4513 Teas St, Bellaire, TX 77401.
Objective: To examine the effect of physiologic insulin resensitization (PIR) on the cost of treating patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Study Design: The mean 1-year cost of treating 66 Medicare Advantage patients with diabetes and CKD who were receiving PIR was compared with that of treating 1301 Medicare Advantage patients with diabetes and CKD not receiving PIR. Differences in disease severity were compared using mean risk adjustment factor scores.
Am J Manag Care
January 2025
Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, University of Southern California, 635 Downey Way, Verna & Peter Dauterive Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90089. Email:
Objectives: To assess trends in the medical loss ratio (MLR) and understand how health insurance premiums in the large group market are driven by medical claims spending and insurer margins.
Study Design: Study of approximately 500 insurers covering more than 40 million lives annually in the large group market that submitted an MLR submission form (2014-2022).
Methods: We assessed trends in the MLR, premiums, medical claims spending, administrative costs, quality improvement spending, and margins among all insurers in the large group market.
Am J Manag Care
January 2025
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, 311 Trent Dr, Durham, NC 27710. Email:
Objectives: Patients are often discharged to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) for postacute rehabilitation. Functional outcomes achieved in SNFs are variable, and costs are high. Especially for accountable care organizations (ACOs), home-based postacute rehabilitation offers a high-value option if outcomes are not compromised.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Respir Crit Care Med
January 2025
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece;
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