Direct and indirect costs among employees with diabetic retinopathy in the United States

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine, from the employer perspective, the direct (healthcare) and indirect (workloss) costs of employees with diabetic retinopathy (DR) compared to control non-DR employees with diabetes, and within DR subgroups. Methods: Compared annual costs using claims data from 17 large companies (1999-2004). 'DR employees' (n = 2098) had ≥ 1 DR (International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision [ICD‑9]) diagnosis; DR subgroups included employees with diabetic macular edema (DME), proliferative DR (PDR), and employees receiving photo­coagulation or vitrectomy procedures. Descriptive and multivariate tests were performed. Results: DR employee annual direct costs were $18 218 (indirect = $3548) compared to $11 898 (indirect = $2374) for controls (Δ = $2032 (adjusted); p