End-of-Life Health Care Service Use and Cost Among Medicare Decedents With Neurodegenerative Diseases

The cost of rehabilitation after critical illness: a comparison of hospitalization costs for traumatic brain injury and non-traumatic brain injury patients with disorders of consciousness

Background

This study aims to compare hospitalization costs between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and non-traumatic brain injury (non-TBI) patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) to explore cost determinants.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 210 DoC inpatients admitted to Shenzhen Longcheng Hospital, a tertiary rehabilitation hospital located in China's Pearl River Delta region, between 2015 and 2020. Patients were categorized into TBI (n = 44) and non-TBI (n = 166) groups based on etiology. Demographic, clinical, and hospitalization cost data were collected for each patient. The study compared the cost composition for DoC patients by etiology and used multivariate analysis to identify factors influencing hospitalization costs.

Results

The median length of stay (LOS) and cost for TBI patients were 363.5 days and $57,366.05, respectively, while for non-TBI patients, the medians were 280.5 days and $57,117.64. Across both groups, the highest cost components were rehabilitation, medication, and treatment expenses. Factors associated with higher hospitalization costs included non-TBI etiology, local residents, medical insurance, LOS, self-employed, surgical treatment, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) intervention.

Conclusion

Hospitalization cost structures were similar across etiologies, emphasizing value-driven care priorities. Key factors associated with higher hospitalization costs included non-TBI etiology, local residency, medical insurance, LOS, self-employment status, surgery, and TCM. These findings highlight key drivers of healthcare costs in DoC care, emphasizing the need for targeted policy interventions. However, given the limitations of this study, further research with larger, more diverse samples is essential to comprehensively assess the impact of costs on patient outcomes and care quality.

Genomic and Transcriptomic Approaches Advance the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), represent a growing societal challenge due to their irreversible progression and significant impact on patients, caregivers, and healthcare systems. Despite advances in clinical and imaging-based diagnostics, these diseases are often detected at advanced stages, limiting the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Recent breakthroughs in genomic and transcriptomic technologies, including whole-genome sequencing, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and CRISPR-based screens, have revolutionized the field, offering new avenues for early diagnosis and personalized prognosis. Genomic approaches have elucidated disease-specific genetic risk factors and molecular pathways, while transcriptomic studies have identified stage-specific biomarkers that correlate with disease progression and severity. Furthermore, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), polygenic risk scores (PRS), and spatial transcriptomics are enabling the stratification of patients based on their risk profiles and prognostic trajectories. Advances in functional genomics have uncovered actionable targets, such as ATXN2 in ALS and TREM2 in AD, paving the way for tailored therapeutic strategies. Despite these achievements, challenges remain in translating genomic discoveries into clinical practice due to disease heterogeneity and the complexity of neurodegenerative pathophysiology. Future integration of genetic technologies holds promise for transforming diagnostic and prognostic paradigms, offering hope for improved patient outcomes and precision medicine approaches.