Introduction: This study evaluated the impact of receiving a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) diagnosis on healthcare utilization from patients at a community-based multispecialty provider organization.
Methods: A cohort of patients with MGUS (n = 429) were matched on sex, age, and length of enrollment to a cohort of patients without MGUS (n = 1286). Healthcare utilization was assessed: 1-12 months before, 1 month before and after, and 1-12 months after diagnosis/index date. Multivariable conditional Poisson models compared change in utilization of each service in patients with and without MGUS.
Results: During the 2 months around diagnosis/index date, the rates of emergency room, hospital and outpatient visits were higher for patients with MGUS than patients without MGUS. In the year before MGUS diagnosis, the association was still elevated, although attenuated.
Conclusion: Understanding the care of MGUS patients is important given that multiple myeloma patients with a pre-existing MGUS diagnosis may have a better prognosis.
Keywords: emergency; hospitalization; monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance; multiple myeloma; outpatient.