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The Burden of Cost in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Medical Economic Perspective and the Future of Value-Based Care

  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (M Regueiro, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

To examine the quantifiable economic impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), key cost drivers and determinants, and the impact of value-based care in IBD. Finally, we prognosticate on future directions and opportunities on healthcare economics in IBD.

Recent Findings

New value-based initiatives, technologically driven interventions, and quality improvement programs have demonstrated reductions in healthcare utilization and enhanced patient outcomes, and several have realized cost of care reductions.

Summary

IBD is a costly, chronic illness with unbalanced spending by a small proportion of individuals. Pharmaceutical costs are overtaking inpatient expenses as the primary cost driver. Value-based care initiatives including the IBD medical home, remote monitoring platforms such as myIBDcoach and Project Sonar, and learning healthcare networks exemplified by ImproveCareNow have all demonstrated successes in improving care quality, patient outcomes, and reduced healthcare spending in some populations. The future of value-based care in IBD is bright, with ample opportunities for model refinement, collaboration, and growth.

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Correspondence to Benjamin H. Click.

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Benjamin Click reports personal fees from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, outside the submitted work.

Jonathan Beard and Diana Franco declare no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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BC serves on speakers’ bureau for Takeda.

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Beard, J.A., Franco, D.L. & Click, B.H. The Burden of Cost in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Medical Economic Perspective and the Future of Value-Based Care. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 22, 6 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-020-0744-z

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