Health Care Utilization and Cost among Adults with Chronic Rhinosinusitis Enrolled in a Health Maintenance Organization

• DOI: 10.1067/mhn.2002.129815
• Publication Date: 2003-02-05T02:49:09Z
• Authors: Michael P. Murphy; Paul Fishman; Steven O. Short; Sean D. Sullivan; Bevan Yueh; Ernest A. Weymuller
• Keywords: Outpatient visits; Utilization management

OBJECTIVE Our goal was to measure the impact of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) on use and cost health care by adults in a maintenance organization (HMO). SETTING AND SUBJECTS In setting Group Health Cooperative, an HMO Washington State, we conducted study all 218,587 (≥18 years) who used services during 1994. Using automated data, 20,175 were identified with one or more CRS diagnoses OUTCOME MEASURES We nonurgent outpatient visits, pharmacy fills, urgent hospital days, their associated costs (per adult per year). RESULTS The marginal utilization diagnosis 2.0 5.1 0.01 visit, −0.07 day. total $206. CONCLUSIONS Adults had higher primarily because increased visit fill utilization. overall direct United States 1994 is estimated have been $4.3 billion.