A study published this month in BMJ Open by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai proposes a novel method for identifying patterns in the frequency and cost of multiple chronic conditions (MCC).
Researchers examined Medicaid claims data for 190,000 patients in the Mount Sinai Health System between 2012 and 2014. In this cohort, 61 percent of patients had MCC--the presence of two or more chronic conditions in one individual--a level far higher than in the U.S. general population (42 percent).
Using a segmented methodology, the study found that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes were the most common triplet of chronic conditions, and women aged 50 to 65 with high blood pressure and high cholesterol were the costliest segment overall. The most surprisingly common disease pair, relative to expectations, was lung disease and heart attacks. The study found that patients living in lower-income areas developed a second chronic condition 15 years earlier, on average, than their counterparts in higher-income areas.
By shedding light on several unexpected disease clusters and their costs, this work could inform new approaches for managing chronic conditions. The research was made possible with support from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
"This work shows the disproportionate effects of MCC on vulnerable populations--almost two-thirds of these patients had MCC, and over half developed their second condition by age 35," said Usnish Majumdar, the study's lead author and a fourth-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine. "This helps us develop primary care programs with our partners to treat patients with MCC. It also provides an analytical method for health systems worldwide to track chronic condition patterns in their own settings--and design interventions to address their local needs."
Chronic conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States and globally, and it is increasingly common for adults to live with more than one condition. Recognizing the growing threat of MCC, Teva and the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai joined forces in 2017 to study MCC in low-resource settings. The partnership aims to understand the patient population, inform population health priorities, educate and empower patients to improve self-management, and disseminate interventions to low-resource settings around the world.
In addition to developing this analytic method, the research team at the Arnhold Institute has partnered with Teva to implement a peer-led behavior change program that helps New Yorkers with MCC track their medications, change their lifestyles, and control their conditions. The Arnhold team is also developing similar care models for patients with chronic conditions worldwide, beginning in northern Ghana.
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To learn more about Mount Sinai and Teva's efforts to address MCC, visit https://icahn.mssm.edu/research/arnhold.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,480 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 12 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Orthopedics in the 2019-2020 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai St. Lukes and Mount Sinai West are ranked 23rd nationally for Nephrology and 25th for Diabetes/Endocrinology, and Mount Sinai South Nassau is ranked 35th nationally for Urology. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai West, and Mount Sinai South Nassau are ranked regionally.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve people's lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 35,000 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at http://www.tevapharm.com.
Journal
BMJ Open