Health Care Utilization and Expenditures Following Diagnosis of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease in the United States

BACKGROUND: Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTMLD) is an important public health concern that has been increasing in prevalence. OBJECTIVES: To (a) describe hospitalizations and health care expenditures among patients with newly diagnosed NTMLD and (b) estimate attributable hospitalizations and expenditures to NTMLD in the United States. METHODS: In this matched cohort study, patients and controls were identified from a large U.S. national managed care insurance database containing aggregated health claims of up to 18 million fully covered members annually. NTMLD was defined based on diagnostic claims for NTMLD on ≥ 2 separate occasions ≥ 30 days apart between 2007 and 2016. Thirty-six months of continuous enrollment (12 months before and 24 months after the first diagnostic claim) was required. Health care utilization and standardized health care expenditures were summarized over 12 months before NTMLD diagnosis and for 2 subsequent years. The percentage of patients that were hospitalized in y...