Older adults with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea seek more health care, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Older adults with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea seek more health care, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The study examined the impact of untreated sleep apnea on health care utilization and costs among Medicare beneficiaries.
The authors reviewed a sample of Medicare claims data and found that patients diagnosed with sleep apnea sought medical care more frequently and at higher cost in the 12 months prior to their diagnosis than patients without the sleep disorder. Compared with the control group, those with untreated sleep apnea had greater health care utilization and costs across all points of service, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency and prescription medications in the year leading up to their sleep apnea diagnosis.
Researchers at the University of Maryland and Columbia University also observed that Medicare patients with sleep apnea were more likely to suffer from other ailments than those without the sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is linked to an increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and depression. The study authors suggest that insurers, legislators and health system leaders consider routine screening for sleep apnea in older patients, especially those with medical and psychiatric comorbidities, to better contain treatment costs.
“Sleep disorders represent a massive economic burden on the U.S. health care system,” said lead author Emerson Wickwire, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and director of the insomnia program at the University of Maryland Medical Center – Midtown Campus. “Medicare beneficiaries with obstructive sleep apnea cost taxpayers an additional $19,566 per year. It’s important to realize that costs associated with untreated sleep disorders are likely to continue to accrue year after year, which is why our group focuses on early recognition and treatment.”
Read more at American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Image: Older adults with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea seek more health care, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The study examined the impact of untreated sleep apnea on health care utilization and costs among Medicare beneficiaries. (Credit: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine)
