Study Highlights Significant Benefits in Interventional Therapies Versus Surgery

March 21, 2013—The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has released a statement in response to a study showing that minimally invasive procedures significantly lower health payer costs and result in fewer missed workdays when compared to open surgery. The study by Andrew J. Epstein, PhD, et al was published online ahead of print in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Surgery.

According to SCAI, of the six procedures examined by the investigators, the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) arm of the study drove the cost savings. SCAI noted the importance of this finding, considering that heart disease remains the leading cause of death and disability in the United States and accounts for considerable expenditures in health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

As summarized in SCAI's press release, this analysis of real-world health care spending showed a dramatic cost savings with PCI versus open-heart surgery. PCI saved health payers $30,850 per patient and resulted in 37.7 fewer workdays missed per patient over the course of 1 year. Peripheral revascularization showed a per-patient cost savings of $12,031 and 16.6 fewer absent days from work. Collectively, the minimally invasive procedures analyzed in the study reduced health plan expenditures by more than $8.9 billion and another $2.2 billion in reduced workplace absenteeism over a 1-year period nationally among adults with employer-sponsored health insurance.

The SCAI announcement explained that the study used data from national health insurance claims and workplace absenteeism data from 2000 to 2009. The investigators evaluated the impact of surgery versus less invasive procedures on medical spending and days absent from work for approximately 352,000 patients with employer-sponsored health insurance. The study looked at six types of standard open surgery versus minimally invasive procedures, including data from 14 days before the procedure through 352 days postprocedure to determine a comprehensive understanding of the economic impact.

The SCAI statement advised that this study helps fill an information gap surrounding the health economics of procedures, including PCI and peripheral revascularization, as the health care community seeks to provide the best possible care to patients while lowering costs. These new data, paired with PCI's strong clinical outcomes in treatment of cardiovascular disease and its improvement in patient quality of life, reinforce the case for PCI as an effective treatment option for both patients and payers, the society noted.

“This study addresses the societal value of minimally invasive care,” commented SCAI trustee Cindy Grines, MD, in the society's press release. Dr. Grimes is Vice President of clinical and academic affairs at Detroit Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute. She continued, “We know PCI is a safe and effective option for heart disease patients, and when coupled with the data from this study, the case for interventional cardiology and minimally invasive treatment options is resoundingly clear. It saves money, gets our patients back to work quickly, and improves their quality of life.”