ArticleBMC geriatrics2025
Polypharmacy and healthcare expenditures among older adults in the United States: a propensity score-matched study.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Characterising pharmacist interventions from person-centred medicines reviews in general practice settings.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- Health care use and costs associated with clinically impactful immune-related adverse events during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for non-small cell lung cancer.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPolypharmacy is associated with increased risk of adverse events and may increase healthcare expenditures. However, there is a lack of study using nationally representative data to assess additional healthcare costs associated with polypharmacy. This study aimed to quantify the associations between polypharmacy and healthcare expenditures and affordability of healthcare among older adults.
methodsWe used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) from 2018 to 2021, which provides nationally presentative data in the US. Polypharmacy was defined as using ≥ 5 medications in the survey year. We included 23,300 adult participants aged 65 years or older (13,339 with and 9,961 without polypharmacy). Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to control for sociodemographic and an extensive list of comorbidities. We used a two-part model to examine associations between polypharmacy and healthcare expenditures and logistic regression to examine associations between polypharmacy and affordability of care. Unaffordability of care was defined as not or delay receiving healthcare because patients could not afford it in the past 12 months.
resultsAfter PSM, 4,925 participants with polypharmacy and 4,925 without polypharmacy were included. The mean (95% confidence interval, CI) age of study population was 73.9 (95% CI: 73.8-74.2) years, with 54.5% (95% CI: 54.0-55.0) being female. All characteristics were well-balanced (standardized mean differences < 0.1 for all). Following PSM, the average annual total expenditure was $14,691.06 for older adults with polypharmacy and $8,912.09 for those without. Polypharmacy was associated with $4,303.82 (95% CI: 3,948.56-4,659.08) higher annual total healthcare expenditures, including $1,178.67 (95% CI: 1,165.10-1,192.38) more for prescription medicines, $1,359.83 (95% CI: 885.14-1,884.52) more for office-based visits, $814.91 (95% CI: 176.77-1,192. 06) more for inpatient stays, and $886.16 (95% CI: 322.48-1,449.83) more for outpatient visits. Furthermore, polypharmacy was associated with significantly higher risk of unaffordability of prescription medications (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] 1.70 [1.30-2.23]).
conclusionsUsing propensity score methods, we provided estimates of additional healthcare costs associated with polypharmacy. Our research highlights the potential economic burden of polypharmacy on patients, family, insurers, and society.
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