건강보험 청구자료를 이용한 지주막하 출혈 환자의 소득분위에 따른 의료자원 이용 분석

Healthcare Resource Utilization and Medical Costs in Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage by Income Quintile Using Health Insurance Claims Data

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a sudden, life-threatening condition which leads to severe complications such as cerebral vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and cerebral infarction. Considering the heightened focus on health equity post-COVID19, this study investigates the socioeconomic disparities in medical resource use and costs among SAH patients in Korea, using real-world data from 2002 to 2019. We compared their annual healthcare costs and resource utilization with 1:1 propensity score-matched patients between income quantiles. Propensity score matching was performed on 4,188 patients diagnosed with SAH, resulting in two groups: 777 patients in the low-income group (1st and 2nd income quantiles) and 777 patients in the general-income group (3rd to 10th income quantiles). Initial treatment costs for SAH were similar between the two groups. However, the cost of treating complications was lower in the low-income group. Long-term treatment costs, particularly for complications two years post-initial treatment, were 1.6 times higher for the general class. A generalized linear model analysis showed these findings, with lower annual complication-related costs in the low-income group after initial treatment. This study revealed significant differences in long-term healthcare resource utilization and costs between income groups among SAH patients.