Association between positive airway pressure therapy and healthcare costs among older adults with comorbid obstructive sleep apnea and common chronic conditions: an actuarial analysis.

STUDY

objectivesTo determine the association between adherence to positive airway pressure and healthcare costs among a national sample of older adults with comorbid obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and common chronic conditions.

methodsOur data source was a random sample of Medicare administrative claims for years 2016-2019. Inclusion criteria included age ≥65 years and new diagnosis of OSA. Exclusion criteria included evidence of prior OSA treatment during the 12 months prior to the index date, active cancer, or end-stage renal disease. OSA was defined using physician-assigned diagnostic codes. Common chronic conditions included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, depression, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and stroke. Based on Medicare policy, individuals were classified as adherers, nonadherers, or noninitiators. Risk adjustment was based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Hierarchical Condition Categories approach developed by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Service specifically to estimate anticipated costs. To examine the impact of PAP adherence on costs, we employed a weighted DID regression framework to account for baseline variations in health status and other confounding factors.

resultsParticipants included 28 220 Medicare beneficiaries with comorbid OSA. Of these, 45% were adherent to PAP, 10% were nonadherent, and 44% did not initiate PAP. Relative to noninitiators, beneficiaries who initiated PAP displayed $195 reduced per-member per-month costs over 24 months. This finding remained consistent across all seven medical and psychiatric subgroups, as well as among individuals with multimorbidity.

conclusionsIn this national analysis of Medicare beneficiaries with common chronic conditions, PAP adherence was associated with reduced costs over 24 months.