Healthcare Utilization and Costs for Patients With Parkinson's Disease After Deep Brain Stimulation

Objective: To compare the complications, healthcare utilization and costs following DBS or medical management for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: We examined healthcare utilization and costs for up to 5 years between veterans with DBS and those with medical management for PD. Veterans who received DBS between 2007 and 2013 were matched with veterans who received medical management using propensity score approaches. Healthcare utilization and costs were obtained from national VA and Medicare data sources and compared using procedures to adjust for potential differences in length of follow-up. Results: We identified 611 veterans who had received DBS and a matched group of 611 veterans who did not undergo DBS. Among DBS patients, 59% had the electrodes and generator implanted during separate admissions. After 5 years of follow-up, average total healthcare costs, including DBS procedures and complications, were $77,131 (95% confidence interval: $66,095–$88,168; P < 0.001) higher per person for patients who received DBS ($162,489) than patients who received medical management ($85,358). In contrast, excluding the costs of the DBS procedures and complications, average total costs were not significantly different between patients who received DBS and patients who received medical management after 5 years of follow-up. Conclusions: Healthcare costs over 5 years were higher for veterans who received DBS. These higher healthcare costs may reflect the costs of DBS procedures and any follow-up required plus greater surveillance by healthcare professionals following DBS as well as unobserved differences in the patients who received medical management or DBS.