Impact of Time to Receipt of Prosthesis on Total Healthcare Costs 12 Months Postamputation

The objective was to assess the impact of a prosthesis and the timing of prosthesis receipt on total direct healthcare costs in the 12-mo postamputation period. DESIGN: Data on patients with lower limb amputation (n = 510) were obtained from a commercial claims database for retrospective cohort analysis. Generalized linear multivariate modeling was used to determine differences in cost between groups according to timing of prosthesis receipt compared with a control group with no prosthesis. RESULTS: Receipt of a prosthesis between 0 and 3 mos post lower limb amputation yielded a reduced total cost by approximately 0.23 in log scale within 12 mos after amputation when compared with the no-prosthesis group. Despite the included costs of a prosthesis, individuals who received a prosthesis either at 4–6 mos postamputation or 7–9 mos postamputation incurred costs similar to the no-prosthesis group. CONCLUSION: Earlier receipt of a prosthesis is associated with reduced spending in the 12 mos postamputation of approximately $25,000 compared with not receiving a prosthesis. The results of this study suggest that not providing or delaying the provision of a prosthesis increases costs by about 25%.