title: Estimated cost of treating myasthenia gravis in an insured U.S. population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this study we estimated the costs paid by U.S. health plans for treating myasthenia gravis (MG) in 2009 and determined the major cost drivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thirteen MG patients were matched by propensity scores with 339 non-MG patients from a comprehensive health-care insurance database. The mean annual costs paid by the health plan for treating MG, costs by place of service, and costs for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasma exchange were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean annual costs paid by the health plan per MG patient were $20,190 (SEM $4,763) and costs attributable to treating MG were $15,675. Home health services accounted for 23% of MG patient costs and represented almost exclusively IVIg infusion costs. Six MG patients had a total of 136 outpatient IVIg infusions at an average annual cost of $109,463 ± $57,303.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The estimated annual health plan paid costs for treating MG were $15,675. Home health services represented 23% of MG patient costs, largely driven by IVIg administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, DUMC 3403, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. jeffrey.guptill@duke.edu
authors.forename: Jeffery T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Guptill
authors.forename: Bal K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marano
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soucy
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.forename: Donald B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sanders
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology