Patterns of Healthcare Use and Mortality After Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Dementia Diagnosis Among Alaska Native Patients: Results of a Cluster Analysis in a Tribal Healthcare Setting

BACKGROUND: Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people represent a rapidly aging population with disproportionate burdens of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To characterize healthcare service use patterns and mortality in the years following ADRD diagnosis for patients in an Alaska Native Tribal health system. METHODS: The study sample included all AN/AI patients aged 55 or older with an ADRD diagnosis who were seen between 2012–2018 (n = 407). We used cluster analysis to identify distinct patterns of healthcare use for primary care, emergency and urgent care, inpatient hospital stays, and selected specialty care. We compared demographic and clinical factors between clusters and used regression to compare mortality. RESULTS: We identified five clusters of healthcare service use patterns after ADRD diagnosis: 1) people who use a low amount of all services (n = 107), 2) people who use a high amount of all services (n = 60), 3) people who use a high amount of primary and specialty care (n = 105), 4) people who use a high amount of specialty care (n = 65), and 5) people who use a high amount of emergency and urgent care (n = 70). The cluster with the highest use had the greatest proportion of comorbidities and had a 2.3-fold increased risk of mortality compared to the cluster with the lowest healthcare service use. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that those receiving the most services had the greatest healthcare-related needs and increased mortality. Future research could isolate factors that predict service use following ADRD diagnosis and identify other differential health risks.