Cost impact of complications in meningococcal disease: Evidence from a United States managed care population

OBJECTIVES: To compare health care utilization and associated costs among patients with and without invasive meningococcal disease (IMD)-related sequelae. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of an administrative claims database from 1998-2009 was performed. Patients with an IMD-related inpatient admission and continuous health plan enrollment selected and categorized by presence (complicated-IMD) or absence (uncomplicated-IMD) IMD-related sequelae during the follow-up year. Differences in the follow-up year healthcare utilization and costs between the two groups tested using univariate and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: We identified 173 patients; 41% had at least one diagnosis claim for IMD-related sequelae. Significantly higher predicted total health care costs for complicated-IMD cases (mean: $72,101), compared with uncomplicated cases (mean: $41,883; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We observed significantly higher health care costs among complicated-IMD cases, compared with uncomplicated cases. The substantially higher costs observed among patients with IMD-related sequelae warrant inclusion of these costs in studies conducting economic evaluations of meningococcal vaccination programs.