Health Care Utilization Following Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy in Pediatric Epilepsy Patients From a Pediatric Accountable Care Organization

Background: Vagus nerve stimulation has been a therapy for epilepsy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients 4 and older and shown efficacy and safety in younger pediatric patients. Methods: The authors performed a retrospective analysis utilizing Medicaid claims from an accountable care organization to measure the intervention of vagus nerve stimulation therapy in regard to unplanned health care utilization. Thirteen unique patients were included who had vagus nerve stimulation therapy who had at least 6 months of continuous enrollment in a managed Medicaid health plan. Comparison with 12 months of data before and after vagus nerve stimulation implantation was performed. Results: Patients had statistically significant fewer unplanned inpatient visits per patient per enrollment month after vagus nerve stimulation implantation. Conclusion: Utilizing claims data, vagus nerve stimulation implantation demonstrates a reduction in unplanned hospitalizations.