Mount Sinai Researchers Develop Novel Method to Identify Patterns Among Patients With Multiple Chronic Conditions
A study published this month in BMJ Open by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai proposes a novel method for identifying patterns in the frequency and cost of multiple chronic conditions (MCC).
Researchers examined Medicaid claims data for 190,000 patients in the Mount Sinai Health System between 2012 and 2014. In this cohort, 61 percent of patients had MCC—the presence of two or more chronic conditions in one individual—a level far higher than in the U.S. general population (42 percent).
Using a segmented methodology, the study found that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes were the most common triplet of chronic conditions, and women aged 50 to 65 with high blood pressure and high cholesterol were the costliest segment overall. The most surprisingly common disease pair, relative to expectations, was lung disease and heart attacks. The study found that patients living in lower-income areas developed a second chronic condition 15 years earlier, on average, than their counterparts in higher-income areas.
By shedding light on several unexpected disease clusters and their costs, this work could inform new approaches for managing chronic conditions. The research was made possible with support from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
“This work shows the disproportionate effects of MCC on vulnerable populations—almost two-thirds of these patients had MCC, and over half developed their second condition by age 35,” said Usnish Majumdar, the study’s lead author and a fourth-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine. “This helps us develop primary care programs with our partners to treat patients with MCC. It also provides an analytical method for health systems worldwide to track chronic condition patterns in their own settings—and design interventions to address their local needs.”
Chronic conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States and globally, and it is increasingly common for adults to live with more than one condition. Recognizing the growing threat of MCC, Teva and the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai joined forces in 2017 to study MCC in low-resource settings. The partnership aims to understand the patient population, inform population health priorities, educate and empower patients to improve self-management, and disseminate interventions to low-resource settings around the world.
In addition to developing this analytic method, the research team at the Arnhold Institute has partnered with Teva to implement a peer-led behavior change program that helps New Yorkers with MCC track their medications, change their lifestyles, and control their conditions. The Arnhold team is also developing similar care models for patients with chronic conditions worldwide, beginning in northern Ghana.
To learn more about Mount Sinai and Teva’s efforts to address MCC, visit https://icahn.mssm.edu/research/arnhold.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve people’s lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 35,000 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at www.tevapharm.com.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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