Abstract
Objectives: To examine multiple chronic conditions and related health care expenditures in children. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all dependents of Mayo Clinic employees aged 0-17 on Jan 1, 2004 with continuous health benefits coverage for 4 years (N=14,727). Chronic conditions, health care utilization, and associated expenditures were obtained from medical and pharmacy claims. Results: The most prevalent chronic conditions were asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (12%), allergic rhinitis (11%), and behavior problems (9%). The most costly conditions were congenital anomalies, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and behavior problems ($9602, $4335, and $5378 annual cost per child, respectively). Annual health care expenditures increased substantially with the number of chronic conditions, and a small proportion of children with multiple chronic conditions accounted for a large proportion of health care costs. In addition, those with multiple chronic conditions were more likely to persist in the top 10th percentile spender group in year-to-year spending. Conclusion: Children with multiple chronic conditions accounted for a large proportion of health care expenditures. These children were also likely to persist as high spenders in the 4-year time frame. Further research into effective ways to manage the health care delivery for children with multiple chronic conditions is needed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2-9 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Primary Care and Community Health |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Children
- Chronic conditions
- Comorbidities
- Medical cost
- Pediatrics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Community and Home Care
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health