Evaluating the clinical and economic consequences of using video capsule endoscopy to monitor Crohn's disease.

backgroundTo assess the cost and patient impact of using small bowel and colon video capsule endoscopy (SBC) for scheduled monitoring of Crohn's disease (CD).

methodsAn individual-patient, decision-analytic model of the CD care pathway was developed given current practice and expert input. A literature review informed clinical endpoints with data from peer-reviewed literature. Four thousand simulated CD patients were extrapolated from summary patient data from the Project Sonar Database. Two monitoring scenarios were assessed in this population. The first scenario represented common monitoring practice (CMP) for CD (ileocolonoscopy plus imaging), while in the second scenario patients were converted to disease monitoring using SBC. The cost-effectiveness of using SBC was assessed over 20 years. The cost of switching 50% of patients to SBC was assessed over 5 years for a health-plan including 12,000 patients with CD. Uncertainty of results was assessed using probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

resultsAll patient groups showed increased quality of life with SBC versus CMP, with the highest gain in active symptomatic patients. Over 20 years, SBC reduced costs ($313,367 versus $320,015), increased life expectancy (18.15 versus 17.9 years) and increased quality of life (8.7 versus 8.0 QALY), making it a cost-effective option. SBC was cost-effective in 71% of individuals and 78% of populations including 50 patients. A payer implementing SBC in 50% of patients over 5 years could expect a decreased cost of monitoring (-$469 mean per patient) and surgery (-$698), but increased costs for active treatments (+$717). The discounted mean annual cost of care using CMP was $22,681 per patient over 5 years. The annual savings were $1135 per SBC-patient. The total savings for the payer over 5 years were $36.5 million.

conclusionSBC is likely to be a cost-effective and cost-saving strategy for monitoring CD in the US.