IBI Research: Productivity Costs of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)

Spotlight on article published in

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

IBI Spotlights call attention to important health and productivity findings from peer-reviewed work by external researchers. Unless otherwise stated, the authors are not affiliated with IBI, nor was the research executed on IBI’s behalf. IBI members are encouraged to obtain the original articles from the copyright holder.

Journal Citation

Page, R.L. II, Ghushchyan, V., Gifford, B., Read, R., Raut, M., Crivera, C., Naim, A., Damaraju, C.V., Nair, K.V. (2013). The Economic Burden of Acute Coronary Syndromes for Employees and Their Dependents. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 55(7):761-767.

Objectives: To determine the total burden of illness, including direct and indirect costs for employees and their dependents with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Method: Medical and pharmacy claims along with short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) claims from 2007 to 2010 were analyzed using two data sets: Integrated Benefits Institute’s Health and Productivity Benchmarking Database (STD and LTD claims) and IMS LifeLinkTM Health Plan Data (medical and pharmacy claims). Results: Employees with ACS lost 60.2 ± 0.29 STD and 397.9 ± 8.09 LTD days per disability incident. For employers, the estimated average per claim productivity loss from STD and LTD was $7943 ± $39.7 and $52,473 ± $1114, respectively. Total annual ACS health care costs per employee were $8170 ± 106, with $7545 ± 104 for annual medical costs. Hospitalizations accounted for 75% of total annual ACS health care costs. Conclusion: ACS imposes a substantial economic burden on employees, employers, and society.