INTRAVITREAL ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR PHARMACEUTICAL UTILIZATION AND FINANCIAL IMPACT IN A VALUE-BASED CARE PROGRAM

imagePurpose:

To investigate trends and the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization of intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) pharmaceuticals in an accountable care organization (ACO).

Methods:

We retrospectively analyzed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services beneficiary claims for all patients in the Houston Methodist Coordinated Care ACO registry during the years 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Results:

Across the 3 years studied, a mean of 708 patients received anti-VEGF injections per year. The percentage of patients who received anti-VEGF injections decreased in each sequential year, with a steeper decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 (decrease by 0.4% from 2019 to 2020, P

CORRELATION BETWEEN INFLAMMATORY FOCI REACTIVATION AND ATROPHY GROWTH IN EYES WITH IDIOPATHIC MULTIFOCAL CHOROIDITIS

imagePurpose:

To correlate the number of inflammatory reactivations in atrophic foci of multifocal choroiditis (MFC) with their growth rate over a 4-year span.

Methods:

Comparative case series. Optical coherence tomography scans of patients affected by MFC were reviewed to identify reactivations within or at the margin of atrophic MFC foci. The area of selected lesions was semiautomatically delineated on fundus autofluorescence images and recorded at yearly intervals for a total follow-up of 4 years. The main outcome was the difference in annual square-root transformed area growth rate between lesions that reactivated and lesions that did not.

Results:

Sixty-six foci of 30 eyes of 24 patients were included. All MFC foci enlarged over time, but the annual growth rate was more than double in lesions that reactivated compared with those that did not (mean [SD], 0.051 [0.035] vs. 0.021 [0.015] mm/year, P

PREDICTION OF MACULAR HOLE SIZE PROGRESSION BASED ON BASELINE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FINDINGS

imagePurpose:

To quantify the rate of idiopathic macular hole progression from presentation and identify factors that may influence stratification and urgency for surgical listing based on the initial optical coherence tomography scans.

Methods:

The minimal linear diameter (MLD), base diameter (BD), and hole height on nasal and temporal sides of idiopathic macular hole were measured on spectral domain optical coherence tomographies, on initial presentation and just before surgery. Mean hole height, hole height asymmetry (absolute difference between nasal and temporal height), MLD/BD, and MLD change per day (MLD/day) were calculated for each patient. Multivariable linear regression analysis with MLD/day as the dependent variable was performed to identify significant risk factors for MLD progression. Minimal linear diameter was grouped to quintiles: 1: ≤290 µm, 2: >290 µm and ≤385 µm, 3: >385 µm and ≤490 µm, 4: >490 µm and ≤623 µm, and 5: >623 µm.

Results:

In 161 eyes (157 patients), we report significant associations with MLD/day: 1) MLD/BD (P = 0.039) (i.e., wide BD relative to MLD lead to faster progression of MLD), 2) hole height asymmetry (P = 0.006) (larger absolute difference between nasal and temporal hole height lead to faster progression), and 3) days between scans (P