Direct and indirect healthcare resource utilization and costs associated with ulcerative colitis in a privately-insured employed population in the US

AbstractObjective:To assess direct and indirect healthcare resource utilization and costs of privately insured US employees with ulcerative colitis (UC) from a societal perspective.Research design and methods:Employees aged 18–64 with ≥2 UC diagnoses and no more than one diagnosis of Crohn’s disease (CD) were identified from a large, de-identified, private insurance US claims database from January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2013. Patients with UC were matched 1:1 to non-IBD controls based on demographics and index date (a randomly selected UC diagnosis). All patients were required to have continuous eligibility for ≥1 year before (baseline period) and after (study period) the index date. Descriptive analyses compared baseline characteristics and study period outcomes. Multivariate cost analysis adjusted for baseline comorbidities. Sub-group analyses compared patients with moderate-to-severe UC with matched controls.Main outcome measures:Costs (2013 US dollars) were measured from a societal perspective, whi...