Burden and cost of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis among commercially insured people undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: ERCP is the primary therapeutic procedure for pancreaticobiliary diseases. Post-ERCP pancreatitis can occur in up to 10% to 15% of cases; however, very little data describe the incidence and financial burden of post-ERCP pancreatitis in a nationally representative sample in the United States. In this study, we characterized the 30-day incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis, identified patient- and procedure-related factors associated with post-ERCP pancreatitis, and described 30-day direct and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs among patients with post-ERCP pancreatitis.

METHODS

We used the Merative MarketScan commercial claims data to identify inpatient and outpatient ERCPs occurring from 2019 to 2021. The primary outcome was the development of post-ERCP pancreatitis within 30 days of an ERCP. The main measure of financial burden was the total direct and OOP costs of the index ERCP and all encounters within 30 days after the index ERCP. We used multivariable regression to identify factors and estimate adjusted costs of post-ERCP pancreatitis.

RESULTS

Among 27,482 patients who underwent 42,212 ERCPs during the study period, post-ERCP pancreatitis was observed in 5.7% of patients. In multivariable analysis, the highest odds of post-ERCP pancreatitis was observed among the youngest age group (≤17 years) undergoing ERCP (odds ratio, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.06-2.21). The 30-day adjusted mean direct costs among persons with and without post-ERCP pancreatitis were $38,569 and $30,103, respectively (difference, $8483). The population-level cost of post-ERCP pancreatitis ranged from $85,833,757 to $432,648,810 across a range of reported estimates for post-ERCP pancreatitis and annual ERCP volume in the United States.

CONCLUSIONS

Post-ERCP pancreatitis is relatively uncommon, occurring in 5% to 6% of individuals, but results in substantial financial burden.