Characterizing Trends in Chronic Superficial Venous Disease Treatment among Medicare Beneficiaries from 2010-2018.

Overview

This study describes trends in surgical versus endovascular interventions for treatment of chronic superficial venous disease (SVD) in the Medicare population. Medicare Part B data from 2010-2018 was obtained. Claims for SVD treatment were identified using Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes. Total percent change in utilization rates and market share was determined for each provider group. Utilization of SVD treatments increased by 58%, mostly due to growing utilization of endovascular treatments. There was a 66% decrease in surgical treatments. The utilization of ablation and sclerotherapy plateaued in 2016 and decreased in 2017-2018 with the advent of mechanochemical ablation, endovenous microfoam, and cyanoacrylate adhesive, respectively. Analysis showed that endovascular utilization increased across most specialties, with the largest growth seen in cardiology by 427%. Radiologists showed utilization growth of 125%, encompassing 11% of market share. Endovascular treatment for SVD remains predominant, with increased utilization and concomitant decrease in surgical methods.