Healthcare burden of cognitive impairment: Evidence from a Singapore Chinese health study.

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) raises risks for unplanned healthcare utilisation and expenditures and for premature mortality. It may also reduce risks for planned expenditures. Therefore, the net cost implications for those with CI remain unknown.

Method: We examined differences in healthcare utilisation and cost between those with and without CI. Using administrative healthcare utilisation and cost data linked to the Singapore Chinese Health Study cohort, we estimated regression-adjusted differences in annual healthcare utilisation and costs by CI status determined by modified Mini-Mental State Exam. Estimates were stratified by ex ante mortality risk constructed from out-of-sample Cox model predictions applied to the full sample, with a separate analysis restricted to decedents. These estimates were used to project differential healthcare costs by CI status over 5 years.

Results: Patients with CI had 17% higher annual cost compared to those without CI (SGD4870 versus SGD4177, P<0.01). Accounting for the greater mortality risk, individuals with CI cost 9% to 17% more over 5 years, or SGD2500 (95% confidence interval 1000-4200) to SGD3600 (95% confidence interval 1300-6000) more, depending on their age. Higher cost was mainly due to more emergency department visits and subsequent admissions (i.e. unplanned). Differences attenuated in the last year of life when costs increased dramatically for both groups.

Conclusion: Ageing populations and higher rates of CI will further strain healthcare resources primarily through greater use of emergency department visits and unplanned admissions. Efforts should be made to identify at risk patients with CI and take appropriate remediation strategies.