The cost of treating XXXX .

@entity1 @entity497
@entity497 ( @entity497 ) is responsible for an average of 4.5 million visits annually to physicians' offices, emergency departments, and outpatient clinics. However, there have been few studies using national data on the costs of treating @entity497 . Without such data, it is difficult to assess whether new therapies and treatment strategies are needed to improve @entity1 outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis based on national incidence data and paid claims data for @entity1 treated for @entity497 to assess the frequency of services rendered and costs to the health-care system. Records were selected for the study based on a primary diagnosis of @entity497 according to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision. Incidence data were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Medicare was the primary source of data for @entity1 aged > or =65 years. Data from the National Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to determine the cost of treating @entity1 aged <65 years. We arrived at a total cost of  4.8 billion for treating @entity1 aged > or =65 years and  3.6 billion for treating @entity1 aged <65 years. These calculations were based on the following: 1.1 million hospital discharges resulting in inpatient costs of  4.4 billion (52.4% of the  8.4 billion) for the 0.6 million @entity1 aged > or =65 years and  3.1 billion (36.9% of the  8.4 billion) for the 0.5 million @entity1 aged <65 years. The average hospital length of stay was 7.8 days with an average cost of  7166 for @entity1 aged > or =65 years and 5.8 days with an average cost of  6042 for younger @entity1 . Room and board represented the largest percentage of the average hospital bill for @entity1 with @entity497 . Inpatient physician service costs were  305 million and  192 million for the > or =65 and <65 groups, respectively. Based on 1.1 million outpatient office visits for those aged > or =65 years and 3.3 million visits for those aged <65, total outpatient costs were  119 million and  266 million, respectively. Given the overwhelming cost burden for @entity497 in the hospital setting, any new therapy that allows @entity1 to be treated in the outpatient setting could result in significant savings, especially for @entity1 aged > or =65 years.
