1. Payment Analysis of Two Diagnosis and Management Approaches of Acute Otitis Media.
- Author
-
Casey, Janet R. and Pichichero, Michael E.
- Subjects
- *
OTITIS media treatment , *AMOXICILLIN , *CHI-squared test , *CLAVULANIC acid , *LONGITUDINAL method , *CASE studies , *MEDICAL care costs , *OTITIS media , *PEDIATRICIANS , *RESEARCH funding , *T-test (Statistics) , *TYMPANIC membrane , *MIDDLE ear ventilation ,OTITIS media diagnosis - Abstract
We determined the cost of care for 2 diagnosis and management approaches for acute otitis media (AOM) among children 6 to 30 months old. A case–control design was used. Cases included 208 children diagnosed with AOM based on a bulging tympanic membrane (TM) and treated with amoxicillin/clavulanate. Controls (5:1 ratio) included 1020 children with AOM diagnosed not requiring bulging of the TM and treated with amoxicillin. Fewer cases (49%) than controls (69%) were diagnosed with AOM (P < .001), fewer were diagnosed with recurrent AOM or AOM treatment failure (0.34 vs 1.6/child; P < .0001), and fewer had insertion of tympanostomy tubes (6.3% vs 14.8%) due to recurrent AOM (P < .0001). The combined direct payments and indirect costs for management of AOM were $539/case versus $1,023/control. Using Rochester NY payments generalized to the US birth cohort, this case diagnosis and treatment strategy could save $1.008 billion per year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF