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Statistical Brief Highlights Cost of Heart Disease

Issue Number

968

AHRQ News Now is a weekly newsletter that highlights agency research and program activities.

July 29, 2025

Today’s Headlines:

In the United States, the cost of treating adults with heart disease totaled $100 billion in 2022. A new statistical brief from AHRQ’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) presents data on the costs associated with treating heart disease that year, including the age groups most impacted, annual costs, and ranking of costs by type of service. Explore the impact of heart disease by insurance type, service, and more. 

Improving Breast Cancer Screening Practices for Survivors

Patients with a personal history of breast cancer are living longer due to early detection and improved treatments; however, they remain at higher risk for cancer recurrence or development of a new cancer. An AHRQ-funded study, published in RadioGraphics, examines current guidelines, including when to start or stop screening, how to choose between screening and diagnostic mammograms based on breast density and prior treatments, and how to use supplemental imaging tools like breast magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound. While national guidelines recommend annual mammograms starting at age 40 and additional imaging for some patients, screening practices still vary widely. Additionally, adherence to screening varies and generally tends to drop over time. Understanding these recommendations and educating patients about their options is key to providing the best care for breast cancer survivors. Access the abstract.

Artificial Intelligence Shows Promise in Catching Interval Breast Cancers

According to an AHRQ-funded study in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, AI can significantly aid in detecting interval breast cancers, potentially reducing missed diagnoses by up to 30 percent. Researchers retrospectively reviewed 148 cases of breast cancer diagnosed within 12 months of a negative screening mammogram, and they found that 64 percent of the mammograms had visible signs of cancer in hindsight. When an AI tool analyzed the same images, it flagged 76 percent of the cases overall and accurately localized the cancer site in 47 percent of those with visible findings. These results suggest AI could improve the sensitivity of mammography by helping radiologists detect subtle or previously overlooked cancers, particularly in annual screening programs using digital breast tomosynthesis. Access the article.

An AHRQ-funded study in JAMA Health Forum found that when zero-premium Health Insurance Marketplace plans became paid plans, automatic reenrollment dropped by 7 percentage points, leaving an estimated 250,000 lower income enrollees without coverage in 2024. Researchers analyzed plan selection data for roughly 10 million HealthCare.gov enrollees per year across 29 states from 2022 to 2024. They also found that when zero-premium plans began requiring a premium—often due to changes in plan pricing, availability, or subsidy levels—plan retention among returning enrollees decreased by 13 percentage points, while plan switching increased by 15 percentage points. The study suggests that when expanded premium tax credit subsidies expire and premiums rise, lower income enrollees are likely to lose coverage, especially with the administrative burdens that come with switching plans. Access the article.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant prospect—it is transforming healthcare delivery, diagnosis, and clinical decision making. As AI becomes increasingly embedded across the care continuum, uncertainty about how to safely and effectively integrate AI tools is rising quickly. Understanding the AI Wave: Foundational Knowledge for Improving Diagnosis and Beyond, a new issue brief from AHRQ, demystifies core AI concepts and offers real-world examples to build foundational understanding. Grounded in evidence and informed by lessons from other high-risk industries, this issue brief provides practical, actionable guidance for healthcare leaders, clinicians, and patients. This resource supports all stakeholders—whether they are making decisions about AI adoption, using AI tools in clinical practice, or seeking to understand AI’s role in care delivery—in navigating AI thoughtfully while safeguarding quality and safety, improving efficiency, and maintaining patient trust.

Over one-quarter of adults in small rural areas considered their access to medical care to be either poor or fair in 2021. Only 14 percent of those in larger rural areas, 8.6 percent of those in suburban areas, and 8.1 percent of those in urban areas considered availability to be similarly poor. (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #564, Adult Ratings of Neighborhood Medical Care Availability in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Areas, United States 2021.)

A theoretical framework to quantify the tradeoff between individual and population benefits of expanded antibiotic use. LaPrete CR, Ahmed SM, Toth DJA, et al. Bull Math Biol 2025 Apr 30;87(6):68. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A behind-the-scenes look at practice facilitation to improve delivery of unhealthy alcohol use screening and management services in primary care: a qualitative study. Rockwell MS, Villalobos G, Bannon J, et al. J Prim Care Community Health 2025 Jan-Dec;16:21501319251351144. Epub 2025 Jul 9. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Epidemiology of diagnostic errors in pediatric emergency departments using electronic triggers. Mahajan P, White E, Shaw K, et al. Acad Emerg Med 2025 Mar;32(3):226-45. Epub 2025 Jan 15. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Building an allergy reconciliation module to eliminate allergy discrepancies in electronic health records. Blackley SV, Lo YC, Varghese S, et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2025 Apr;32(4):648-55. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Development of a tool to measure Potentially Inappropriate Inter-Hospital Transfer (IHT): The POINT Study. Mueller SK, Kelly C, Singleton S, et al. J Gen Intern Med 2025 Jun;40(8):1917-23. Epub 2025 Mar 27. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A toolkit to implement opioid quality improvement efforts in primary care: findings from a mixed-methods study. Childs E, Swan H, Evans L, et al. J Opioid Manag 2025 Jan-Feb;21(1):29-40. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Loss of subsidized drug coverage and mortality among Medicare beneficiaries. Roberts ET, Phelan J, Schwartz AL, et al. N Engl J Med 2025 May 29;392(20):2025-34. Epub 2025 May 14. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Multidisciplinary clinician perspectives on avoidable emergency department use by patients during cancer treatment. Hong AS, Halm EA, Courtney DM, et al. Support Care Cancer 2025 Apr 23;33(5):410. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

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Page last reviewed July 2025
Page originally created July 2025

Internet Citation: Statistical Brief Highlights Cost of Heart Disease. Content last reviewed July 2025. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/e-newsletter/968.html

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