PLAINSBORO, N.J.—Peritoneal dialysis patients have lower healthcare costs for private insurers and are less likely than to be hospitalized when compared to hemodialysis patients, according to a study published in the August issue if the American Journal of Managed Care.
“In the absence of head-to-head clinical trials, which may never be conducted, observational studies such as ours may be the only means of comparing healthcare utilization and costs in patients beginning dialysis with HD versus PD,” the authors wrote.
The researchers used U.S. health insurance databases to identify end-stage renal disease patient who started dialysis between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2006. In all, 463 patients were included in the study—56 patients began treatment with peritoneal dialysis, and 407 patients started treatment with hemodialysis.
The researchers found that HD patients were more than twice as likely as PD patients to be hospitalized in the year after starting dialysis. In addition, the study, which was funded by Baxter Healthcare, found that median healthcare costs for HD patients was $173,507 and $129,997 for PD patients—a difference of $43,510.
“Our study results suggest that expanded use of PD in lieu of HD may yield substantial economic benefits to private payers,” the authors wrote.
