Five-Year Direct Cost of Pediatric Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Undergoing Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT): An Analysis from US Payers' Perspective

Background: Between 54%-85% of pediatric patients (pts) with ALL can be cured by definitive chemotherapy protocols. HSCT may be considered for high-risk pts after induction therapy or for refractory/relapsed pts. However, HSCT is recognized as a highly specialized, costly and resource intensive procedure requiring ongoing care over months to years. HSCT is associated with significant life-threatening complications with transplant related mortality of 20-30% and acute /chronic graft vs. host disease and infections. The objective of this study was to assess the economic burden up to 5 years of pediatric pts with ALL who received HSCT from the US commercial payers' perspective.

Method: Pediatric pts (<18 years old) with ALL (ICD-9 CM codes 204.0x) who underwent an allogeneic HSCT ([ICD-9 CM] procedure codes 41.02, 41.03, 41.05, 41.06, 41.08) in the US (2002 -2013) were identified from two large administrative claims databases. Selected pts were continuously enrolled in their healthcare plan for ≥6 months before and ≥1 month after the index date (i.e., the date the first HSCT procedure was recorded). Age and gender as of the index date and total healthcare costs (direct medical costs and pharmacy costs) during the 6 months preceding the index date were reported. The economic burden associated with HSCT was described by assessing the healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs over the following study periods: between the index date and the HSCT hospitalization discharge date, during the first 100 days following the index date, and, during the first, second, third, fourth and fifth years following the index date. For each period, the analyses were conducted among pts with continuous healthcare plan enrollment for that entire period. Healthcare costs reported reflect the costs reimbursed by US private payers for a pediatric pt with ALL who underwent HSCT. Costs were adjusted for inflation (based on the consumer price index for medical components) and reported as 2014 US dollars (USD).

Results: A total of 209 pediatric ALL pts were identified. Mean age was 10 years and 43.1% of pts were female. The median follow-up period after the index date was 1.3 years. During the 6 months prior to the index date, pts incurred average total healthcare costs of $287,001. The median duration of the initial hospitalization for the HSCT was 41 days (interquartile range 32-55). Over the five years following the index date, results showed substantial HRU and costs associated with the HSCT. The most intensive HRU and highest healthcare costs were observed within the first year following the index date; pts had an average of 49 days with outpatient (OP) visits, 29 days with OP laboratory services, and 68 inpatient (IP) days corresponding to 3.10 IP admissions (including the hospitalization for the first HSCT) and incurred mean total healthcare costs of $683,099 (median of $511,021) (Figure 1 and 2). Costs associated with the first HSCT hospitalization represented 62.4% of the total costs incurred during the first year. Although a decreasing trend was observed over time, HRU and costs remained high; 28.8% of pts had at least one IP admission at year 2, 19.6% at year 3, 20.0% at year 4, and 6.7% at year 5 (Figure 1). The number of days with OP visits and the number of days with laboratory services also remained high over time (Figure 1). The average total healthcare cost was $104,584 (median of $21,877) at year 2, $79,092 (median of $11,000) at year 3, $106,334 (median of $10,426) at year 4 and, and $38,291 (median of $10,082) at year 5 (Figure 2). Our results also showed high variation in healthcare costs across pediatric pts following the index date; 29.4% of the total costs (over the entire sample) in year 1 were incurred by the 10% pts with the highest costs. Starting from the second year, the 10% of pts with the highest costs accounted for 61.3 to 76.6% of the total costs for each year, suggesting that a small proportion of pts still incur very high costs several years after HSCT.

Conclusions:  Healthcare resource utilization and direct costs associated with allogeneic HSCT are substantial with the first year direct cost alone of $683,099 with substantial costs over the following years. Further studies are needed to understand the humanistic and financial burden of HSCT for pediatric pts and their caregivers.

Figure 1. HRU after Index Date

 

Figure 2. Total Healthcare Costs after Index Date