Insurance Denial of Biologic Therapy is Associated With Reduced Remission Rates in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients.

Background and Aims: Biologic therapy is indicated for patients with moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and delays in access to these medications have been associated with higher health-care utilization. We examined whether patients who experienced insurance denials of biologics had worse outcomes, as indicated by disease activity and the number of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations had following medication denial. Methods: Our single-center retrospective cohort study included 169 patients with IBD who were seen at a tertiary care center (University of Maryland Medical Center) and had an insurance denial for biologic therapy between March 2021 and October 2021. Data were collected through chart review. Results: At 6 months following denial, 58.0% of patients were in remission, 37.9% had active disease, and 4.1% had unknown status. Those who did not receive medication approval were significantly more likely to have active disease (Odds ratio = 0.16, 95% confidence interval = [0.04‒0.69] Conclusion: Our study demonstrates an association between insurance denial of biologic therapy and lack of clinical remission with associated increased health-care utilization in IBD patients.