Eur J Health Econ. 2023 Jan 13. doi: 10.1007/s10198-022-01562-7. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is an evidence gap on whether the choice of specialty care beneficially affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study analyzes how newly initiated pulmonologist care affects the generic and disease-specific HRQoL in COPD patients over a period of 1 year.
METHODS: We linked claims data with data from two survey waves to investigate the longitudinal effect of specialty care on HRQoL using linear Difference-in-Difference models based on 1:3 propensity score matched data. Generic HRQoL was operationalized by EQ-5D-5L visual analog scale (VAS), and disease-specific HRQoL by COPD assessment test (CAT). Subgroup analyses examined COPD patients with low (GOLD AB) and high (GOLD CD) exacerbation risk.
RESULTS: In contrast to routine care patients, pulmonologists’ patients (n = 442) experienced no significant deterioration in HRQoL (VAS – 0.0, p = 0.9870; CAT + 0.5, p = 0.0804). Models unveiled a small comparative advantage of specialty care on HRQoL (mean change: CAT – 0.8, VAS + 2.9), which was especially pronounced for GOLD AB (CAT – 0.7; VAS + 3.1).
CONCLUSION: The uptake of pulmonologist care had a statistically significant, but not clinically relevant, beneficial impact on the development of HRQoL by slowing down overall HRQoL deterioration within 1 year. Including specialty care more appropriately in COPD management, especially at lower disease stages (GOLD AB), could thus improve patients’ health outcome.
PMID:36637677 | DOI:10.1007/s10198-022-01562-7
