Abstract 229: Economic Burden of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism for Employees and Employers

Introduction: Though, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) impose a major burden on US healthcare system, limited data exists on the economic impact of DVT and PE on younger working population. DVT, which occurs in approximately 1 in every 1,000 adults every year, is estimated to cost between $5-8 billion annually or on average $20,000 per treated patient per year. PE occurs in 0.6 million patients annually and results in 50,000 to 200,000 deaths every year. This study examined the total burden of illness, including the direct and indirect healthcare costs to employers and employees with DVT and PE. Methods: Retrospective analyses from 2007-2010 were performed using two datasets: (1) Integrated Benefits Institute’s Health and Productivity Benchmarking Database was used for short-term disability (STD) and long term disability (LTD) claims, and (2) IMS LifeLink data was used for medical and pharmacy claims. Indirect costs analyses included costs of lost work days from STD and LTD claims and wage replacement costs. Direct costs included annual pharmacy and medical claims for newly diagnosed DVT and/or PE individuals. Total healthcare cost estimates between the two datasets were linked by derived age and gender analytic weights. Results: 5,445 (female=54%) and 6,199 (female=50%) disability claims were filed for DVT and PE, respectively. Employees with DVT lost on average 57 (SEM 4.6) STD and 440 (SEM 30.5) LTD days per disability incident. For employers, estimated lost productivity costs per DVT claim were STD=$7,414±625 and LTD= $58,181±4,332. Total annual DVT healthcare costs per employee including out of pocket costs were $2,449 + 106 with $2,160±102 for annual medical and $290 ±20 for total pharmacy costs. Employees with PE lost on average 56 (SEM 3.0) STD and 364 (SEM 26.1) LTD days per disability incident. For employers, the estimated lost productivity costs per PE claim for STD and LTD were $7,605±402 and $48,751±3,615, respectively. Total annual PE healthcare costs per employee including out of pocket costs were $5,040 + 460 with $4,851±457 for annual medical and $190 ±22 for total pharmacy costs. Hospitalizations accounted for 84% of total annual PE health costs. Conclusion: DVT and PE constitute a heavy economic and lost productivity burden for both employers and their employees. Direct and disability costs to employees are substantial. Productivity losses for employers are also significantly high. Appropriate management of DVT and PE may help improve lost days from work, reduce healthcare resource utilization, improve workforce productivity, and reduce total economic burden.