• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
U Magazine

U Magazine

U Magazine
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Centennial Campaign for UCLA Issue
  • Browse U Magazine
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

U Magazine

Browse U Magazine

  1. Home
  2. Browse U Magazine
Share this
The Cutting Edge

Heart-failure Medications Highly Cost Effective

A UCLA study shows that heart-failure medications recommended by national guidelines are highly cost effective in saving lives and may also provide savings to the healthcare system. This study is one of the first to analyze the incremental cost-effectiveness of heart-failure medications and taking into account the latest information, including the lower costs of generic medications. Researchers found that the combination of these medical therapies demonstrated the greatest gains in quality-adjusted life years for heart-failure patients.

"We found that the use of one or more of these key medications in combination was associated with significant health gains, while at the same time being cost-effective or providing a cost savings," says Gregg Fonarow, MD '87 (RES '93), the Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science and director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.

The study focused on patients with mild-to-moderate chronic heart failure who had weakening function in the left ventricle. With the heart's diminishing function, fluid can build up in the lungs, so most patients take a diuretic. The research team used an advanced statistical model to assess the specific incremental and cumulative health- and cost-benefit contributions of three medications, compared with diuretics alone, in the treatment of heart-failure patients. The medications studied included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, aldosterone antagonists and beta blockers.

Researchers found that treatment with one or a combination of these medications was associated with lower costs and higher quality of life when compared to treatment with a diuretic alone. The greatest gain was achieved when all three guideline-directed medications were provided. The team found that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of adding each medication was less than $1,500 per each quality-adjusted life year for patients. In some scenarios, the medications were actually cost-saving, where heart-failure patients' lives were prolonged at lower costs to the healthcare system.

For the study, cost-effective interventions were defined as those providing good value with a cost of less than $50,000 per quality-adjusted life year, which is the general standard, Dr. Fonarow says. Cost-saving interventions are those that not only extend life but also save money for the healthcare system. Such interventions are not only more effective but are less costly. Dr. Fonarow noted that the costs of not effectively taking these key medications would be higher, due to increased hospitalizations and the need for other interventions.

"Incremental Cost-Effectiveness of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapies for Heart Failure," Journal of the American College of Cardiology, April 2, 2013


Previous
Working to Identify Cognitive Decline Early
Next
A Bacterial Wolf in Viral Sheep’s Clothing


YOU ARE VIEWING

Summer 2013

Summer 2013
E-Brochure
Printable PDF
IN THIS ISSUE
  • Big Data Is a Big Deal
  • The Woman Who Heard Too Much
  • Preventing Future Strokes
  • UCLA Earns Healthcare Equality Index Distinction
  • As the Biological Clock Winds Down
  • A Key to Happiness?
  • New Institute Fosters Unified Approach to Curing Pediatric Diseases
  • Working to Identify Cognitive Decline Early
  • Heart-failure Medications Highly Cost Effective
  • A Bacterial Wolf in Viral Sheep’s Clothing
  • Novel Treatment Applied to Irregular Heart Rhythms
  • Tom Rosenthal, MD
  • The Promises of Stem Cells
  • Healing the Youngest Brains
  • Making a World of Difference
  • Navigating the Ethics Maze
  • Photo Doc
  • Awards/Honors
  • Postcard from Turkey
  • Reflections of an RN/MD
  • In His Own Words: Anthony “AJ” Johnson, MD ’98
  • Inaugural Kaleidoscope Ball
  • From Bat to Cancer Battle, Steve Garvey’s a Winner
  • Chairs of Distinction
  • Events
  • Gifts
  • In Memoriam
  • Code Blue at 41,000 Feet
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • Find a Doctor
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Subscribe
  • Patient Stories
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • International Services
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Billing
  • Health Plans
  • Emergency
  • Report Broken Links
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Your Feedback
  • Report Misconduct
  • Get Social
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest

Sign in to myUCLAhealth

Learn more about myUCLAhealth