The link between the risk of myocardial infarction recurrence and the costs of health and social services has been demonstrated in a study conducted in the SPESiOR secure processing environment
Working together for new results! ESiOR Oy jointly with the pharmaceutical company Novartis and the wellbeing services county of Siun sote studied risk factors and costs in patients who have experienced a cardiovascular event. We found that the patient’s risk factor profile and the risk of myocardial infarction recurrence are clearly linked to the total costs of health and social services. Classification according to the risk of recurrence of myocardial infarction or other cardiovascular events could help evolve individual treatment planning and save treatment costs.1
Research results predict opportunities to save healthcare costs
According to the study, health and social services costs totalled EUR 15,511 per patient in the group with the lowest risk of recurrence events and EUR 44,859 per patient in the group with the highest risk of recurrence events over a five-year period, i.e., the 5-year costs increased almost threefold as the risk increased. Not all costs are directly linked to services related to heart disease.1
- The study suggests that improved management of risk factors could significantly reduce healthcare costs, in addition to improving patients’ prognosis and quality of life after a cardiac event, says Tuomas Rissanen, Chief Cardiologist at Siun Sote.
- Describing the possibilities of prevention helps organizations understand how even small actions can have significant cost implications in the broader management of cardiovascular diseases. Prevention is also challenging in terms of decision-making, as the results become most visible only years later, beyond the budget period. Therefore, such studies are important in advocating for the importance of preventive measures even in times of economic constraints, where one must dare to invest in the future, says Petri Kivinen, Chief Administrative Physician at Siun Sote.
- It’s great to see that studies carried out in the SPESiOR environment and with our user interface models produce results that could impact on health policy. We are looking forward to carrying out both simple and complex RWD studies in cooperation with stakeholders, says Erkki Soini, CEO of ESiOR Oy.
The study could be implemented thanks to the unique health information obtained from Siun sote. In the study, not directly identifiable (pseudonymised) patient data was processed in the secure processing environment SPESiOR®, approved by Valvira in accordance with the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data.
The next step in the collaboration between Novartis, Siun sote and ESiOR is to model how modifying the risk factors for heart disease reduces the overall risk of cardiac event recurrence and what effect this has on treatment costs. The study results will be used to examine, for example, how achieving the LDL cholesterol goals would affect the risk of recurrence of cardiac events and thus the health and social services costs incurred by the wellbeing services county. Such demonstration of treatment value promotes treating the patients with the highest needs in a timely manner.
Additional information
Janne Martikainen (research)
Erkki Soini (SPESiOR and other services)
Source
1 Risk-Stratified Analysis of Long-Term Clinical Outcomes and Cumulative Costs in Finnish Patients with Recent Acute Coronary Syndrome or Coronary Revascularisation: A 5-Year Real-World Study Using Electronic Health Records. European Heart Journal Open 2024: https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjopen/oeae049