Structure and Distribution of Health Care Costs across Age Groups of Patients with Multimorbidity in Lithuania

Background. Patients with multimorbidity account for ever-increasing healthcare resource usage and are often summarised as big spenders. Comprehensive analysis of health care resource usage in different age groups in patients with at least two non-communicable diseases is still scarce, limiting the quality of health care management decisions, which are often backed by limited, small-scale database analysis. The health care system in Lithuania is based on mandatory social health insurance and is covered by the National Health Insurance Fund. Based on a national Health Insurance database. The study aimed to explore the distribution, change, and interrelationships of health care costs across the age groups of patients with multimorbidity, suggesting different priorities at different age groups. Method. The study identified all adults with at least one chronic disease when any health care services were used over a three-year period between 2012 and 2014. Further data analysis excluded patients with single chronic conditions and further analysed patients with multimorbidity, accounting for increasing resource usage. The costs of primary, outpatient health care services; hospitalizations; reimbursed and paid out-of-pocket medications were analysed in eight age groups starting at 18 and up to 85 years and over. Results. The study identified a total of 428,430 adults in Lithuania with at least two different chronic diseases from the 32 chronic disease list. Out of the total expenditure within the group, 51.54% of the expenses were consumed for inpatient treatment, 30.90% for reimbursed medications. Across different age groups of patients with multimorbidity in Lithuania, 60% of the total cost is attributed to the age group of 65–84 years. The share in the total spending was the highest in the 75–84 years age group amounting to 29.53% of the overall expenditure, with an increase in hospitalization and a decrease in outpatient services. A decrease in health care expenses per capita in patients with multimorbidity after 85 years of age was observed. Conclusions. The highest proportion of health care expenses in patients with multimorbidity relates to hospitalization and reimbursed medications, increasing with age, but varies through different services. The study identifies the need to personalise the care of patients with multimorbidity in the primary-outpatient setting, aiming to reduce hospitalizations with proactive disease management.