Healthcare resource utilization and cost of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a US population

Background: There are limited data evaluating all-cause and disease-related healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and cost of care for patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). Methods: This was a retrospective study using US longitudinal medical and pharmacy claims data during 2012-2020. Adults with ≥2 oHCM diagnoses were identified, with the first diagnosis date used as the index date. HCRU and costs of care were reported for the year preindex (baseline) and at 1- and 2-year follow-ups. Results: We identified 1841 patients with oHCM (63 ± 15 years; 52% male). The mean number of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)-related outpatient and cardiology visits increased from baseline to 1-year follow-up (2.3 vs. 7.8 and 0.6 vs. 2.2, respectively). At baseline, 8% of patients had ≥1 HCM-related inpatient hospitalization (mean 0.11 visits, 5.4 days length of stay), increasing to 27% postdiagnosis (mean 0.42 visits, 5.9 days length of stay). Total HCM-related costs increased from $5968 to $20,290 at 1-year follow-up, largely driven by inpatient hospitalization costs ($3889 vs. $14,369) and surgical costs ($2259 vs. $7217). The proportion with ≥1 HCM-related prescription increased from baseline (69%; mean fills 5.3) to 1-year follow-up (82%; mean fills 7.8). Pharmacy costs were generally low but also increased ($449 vs. $752). Conclusions: This benchmark economic dataset for management and evaluation of patients with oHCM shows increased HCM-related costs over a 2-year period after oHCM diagnosis, driven by inpatient hospitalizations and surgical costs. Medication use was high, but costs were low, possibly reflecting use of generic multi-indication drugs for oHCM treatment.