Utilization of Bloodwork and Routine Medical Visits in the US General Population: Analysis of the Optum Claims Data
Author(s)
Silber A1, Wimmer M2, Abdallah B2, Oak B3, Tan G3, O'Hara M3
1Trinity Partners, LLC, Waltham, MA, USA, 2Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA, 3Trinity Life Sciences, Waltham, MA, USA
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES:
Blood chemistry and hematology testing utilized during routine medical visits are considered an important component of medical care and patients’ wellbeing. This study assessed the utilization of routine bloodwork and medical visits among the US population.METHODS:
Eligible patients (≥18 years) had ≥28 months of continuous medical benefits between November 2017 – February 2020 in Optum’s de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database. Patients were evaluated in 2019 for routine visits and bloodwork, and cohorts were established: 1) Patients with routine bloodwork and a routine visit, 2) Patients with no routine bloodwork, with routine visit, 3) Patients with routine bloodwork, with no routine visit, 4) Patients with no routine bloodwork and no routine visit. Routine bloodwork was defined as occurring within the 60-day look back or look forward periods from a routine visit (≥1 medical claim for an annual visit).RESULTS:
The study included 9,784,012 patients with a mean age (SD) of 56.4 (18.9) years; 45% males and 55% females. Cohorts 1-4 included 34%, 14%, 30%, and 22% of patients, respectively. Patients that did not have bloodwork (cohort 2+4; 36%) and patients who did not have a routine visit (cohort 3+4; 52%) were also evaluated. Among the patients who did not have routine bloodwork, 63% had at least one comorbid condition that was related to routine blood testing needs. 78% of patients who did not have a routine medical visit had one of those comorbidities too.CONCLUSIONS:
A substantial portion of US individuals are not compliant with routine bloodwork and routine primary care visits. There is a need to improve the utilization of primary care services in the US, as the lack of preventative care could lead to outcomes such as delayed diagnosis of a medical condition, delayed treatment, and potentially worse clinical outcomes (and potentially resulting increased healthcare resource utilization).Conference/Value in Health Info
2022-05, ISPOR 2022, Washington, DC, USA
Value in Health, Volume 25, Issue 6, S1 (June 2022)
Code
SA13
Topic
Study Approaches
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas