Journal of medical economics
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The high life-time prevalence of chronic back pain (25-30% according to surveys in small samples) suggests that it may be a major source of healthcare cost and that prevention of chronic back pain may be both ethically and economically recommendable. To obtain valid economic data on the cost of back pain in Germany, a retrospective claims data analysis was performed. ⋯ The results show the potential that could be made accessible by an early detection of back pain patients who bear a risk of pain becoming chronic, both in terms of quality-of-life as well as in financial terms.
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Adolescents with newly diagnosed depression may not receive timely antidepressant therapy. Clinical and economic effects of early versus late treatment initiation are unclear. ⋯ Adolescents who initiated SSRI/SNRI therapy earlier experienced lower risk of ER visits and had lower total costs compared to late initiators.
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Comorbidities and resource utilization among patients with osteoarthritis (OA) in clinical practice have been infrequently characterized. The purpose of this study was to examine comorbidities, pain-related pharmacotherapy, and direct medical costs of patients with OA in clinical practice. ⋯ The patient burden of OA was characterized by a high prevalence of comorbidities. The payer burden was also substantial, with significantly greater use of pain-related and adjunctive medications, and higher direct medical costs.
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To compare second-generation antipsychotics on time to and cost of psychiatric hospitalization in Medicaid beneficiaries with bipolar disorder. ⋯ Medicaid beneficiaries with bipolar disorder initiating aripiprazole had significantly longer time to psychiatric hospitalization than those initiating olanzapine, quetiapine, or ziprasidone, and significantly lower adjusted costs for psychiatric hospitalization than those initiating quetiapine.
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The aims of this paper are to generate estimates of the association between the severity and frequency of pain in Spain and (i) labor force participation and workforce status and (ii) patterns of absenteeism and presenteeism for the employed workforce. ⋯ The experience of pain, in particular severe daily pain, has a substantial negative impact both on labor force participation in Spain as well as reported absenteeism and presenteeism. As a measure of health status, it clearly has an impact that outstrips other health status measures. Whether or not pain is considered as a disease in its own right, the experience of chronic pain, as defined here, presents policy-makers with a major challenge. Programs to relieve the burden of pain in the community clearly have the potential for substantial benefits from societal, individual, and employer perspectives.