Identifying Patients with Group 3 Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with COPD or ILD Using an Administrative Claims Database

Background Group 3 pulmonary hypertension (PH) describes a subpopulation of patients with PH due to chronic lung disease and/or hypoxia, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) being two large subgroups. Claims database studies provide insights into the real-world treatment patterns and outcomes among these patients. However, claims data do not provide sufficient detail to assign the clinical subtype of PH required for identifying these patients. Methods A panel of PH clinical experts and researchers was convened to discuss methodologies to identify patients with Group 3 PH associated with COPD or ILD in retrospective claims databases. To inform the discussion, a literature review was conducted to identify claims-based studies of Group 3 PH associated with COPD or ILD published from 2010 through June 2020. Results Targeted title and abstract review identified 11 claims-based studies and two conference abstracts (eight based in the United States [US] and five conducted outside the US) that met search criteria. Based on insights from the panel and literature review, the following components were detailed across studies in the identification of Group 3 PH associated with COPD and ILD: (a) COPD or ILD identification, (b) PH identification, (c) defining the sequence between COPD/ILD and PH, and (d) other PH Group and Group 3 PH exclusions. Conclusion This article provides recommended approaches and considerations for identifying and studying patients with Group 3 PH associated with COPD or ILD using administrative claims data that provide the foundation for future validation studies.