The costs of treating all-cause dementia among American Indians and Alaska native adults who access services through the Indian Health Service and Tribal health programs

Joan O'Connell; Laura Grau; Turner Goins; Marcelo Perraillon; Blythe Winchester; Maria Corrada; Spero M Manson; Luohua Jiang

doi:10.1002/alz.12603

The costs of treating all-cause dementia among American Indians and Alaska native adults who access services through the Indian Health Service and Tribal health programs

Alzheimers Dement. 2022 Nov;18(11):2055-2066. doi: 10.1002/alz.12603. Epub 2022 Feb 17.

Authors

Joan O'Connell¹, Laura Grau², Turner Goins³, Marcelo Perraillon⁴, Blythe Winchester⁵, Maria Corrada⁶, Spero M Manson¹, Luohua Jiang⁶

Affiliations

¹ University of Colorado, Colorado School of Public Health, Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
² University of Colorado, Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
³ College of Health and Human Sciences, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, USA.
⁴ University of Colorado, Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Health Systems, Management, and Policy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
⁵ Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Indian Hospital; Indian Health Service, Chief Clinical Consultant, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Cherokee Indian Hospital, Cherokee, North Carolina, USA.
⁶ University of California Irvine, College of Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Irvine, California, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: Little is known about treatment costs for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults with dementia who access services through the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribal health programs.

Methods: We analyzed fiscal year 2013 IHS/Tribal treatment costs for AI/ANs aged 65+ years with dementia and a matched sample without dementia (n = 1842) to report actual and adjusted total treatment costs and costs by service type. Adjusted costs were estimated using multivariable regressions.

Results: Mean total treatment cost for adults with dementia were $13,027, $5400 higher than for adults without dementia ($7627). The difference in adjusted total treatment costs was $2943 (95% confidence interval [CI]: $1505, $4381), the majority of which was due to the difference in hospital inpatient costs ($2902; 95% CI: $1512, $4293).

Discussion: Knowing treatment costs for AI/ANs with dementia can guide enhancements to policies and services for treating dementia and effectively using health resources.

Keywords: American Indian and Alaska native peoples; dementia; disparities; health expenditures; hospital expenditures; morbidity burden.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Alaska Natives*
Dementia* / therapy
Health Care Costs
Health Expenditures*
Humans
Indians, North American*
Morbidity
United States
United States Indian Health Service

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding