A Matched-Cohort Study of Health Services Utilization Outcomes for a Heart Failure Disease Management Program

Chronic disease is the leading cause of illness, disability, and death in the United States, affecting nearly 100 million Americans. Heart failure alone affects nearly 4.9 million Americans, with another 550,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. The aim of this study was to investigate the program effects of a heart failure care support program. A two-group cohort study matching on propensity scores was used to investigate 277 heart failure care support program participants and corresponding matched non-participants. Measures used were rates of hospitalizations, emergency department visits, physician office visits, and heart failure–related prescription drug use and procedures. Relative to the matched control group, program participants experienced 26.3% (p = 0.023) fewer inpatient admissions, 37.9% (p = 0.018) inpatient bed days, 33.3% (p = 0.059) more beta blocker use, 76.7% (p = 0.048) more alpha blocker use, 22.2% (p = 0.006) more lipid panels, 13.4% (p = 0.019) more electrocardiographies, 50.0% (p = 0.008) fewer cardiac catheterizations, and 94.6% (p = 0.014) more pneumonia vaccinations. The current study employs a propensity score matching methodology to select a subset of comparison patients most comparable to treatment patients, and documents the beneficial health services outcomes of participation in a heart failure care support program. (Disease Management 2005;8:35–41)