Falls by seniors a significant contributor to health care costs, Butler analysis finds

A team of Butler University students used a Moneyball-like analysis of state Medicaid data to identify falls by seniors as a significant contributor to injury, illness and health care costs.

Medicaid generally covers low-income adults and children while Medicare generally covers older adults, but some senior citizens are covered by Medicaid programs.

The analysis—conducted and presented by Butler students—was the winning entry into the recent Total Cost of Care Data Challengecontest hosted by Butler as well as Fort Wayne-based hospital system Parkview Health and insurance brokerage Hylant of Indianapolis.

The contest kicked off with 10 student teams March 20 and culminated with presentations by five finalists on April 8. Judges selected Butler students Chris Borse, Shums Parkar and Omar Daas as winners for their team’s conclusion that falls by seniors were a pressing health care concern and that increased fall risk assessments could save money and lives.

“I saw that a fall can quickly lead up to these comorbidities that cause a lot of healthcare costs, and moreover, a cause of reduction in the quality of life and in the potential lifespan of an elderly individual,” said Parkar, a Butler undergraduate from Zionsville who wrote software for in the analysis.

The students used data collected from the state’s All-Payer Claims Database, analyzing the top procedures based on total cost from 2020 to 2023.

On the problem, the team concluded:

• More than 30% of senior citizens in Indiana suffer falls each year, making it a top cause of injury and illness for older people.
• Annual fall-risk assessments as a standard component of senior checkups could save the state $115 million and prevent 41 deaths, if only 50% of seniors participated.

The winning team recommended having fall risk and mobility screenings begin at age 50 and enhancing Indiana’s All-Payer Claims Database with more detailed diagnostic and geographic data. The students concluded that the changes would support more targeted interventions.

“Really, physical therapists are the key experts in this,” said Borse, a Butler business student from Denver, Indiana, who utilized his analysis skills from previous work in health care.

The trio also identified physical inactivity as increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

Students analyzed Medicaid patient data from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, or FSSA. A panel of judges from Parkview Health, Butler, Hylant, Carmel–based software provider Blue Agilis, FSSA and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Presentation topics included chronic diseases such as diabetes, behavioral health and lifestyle factors and disparities in rural vs. urban heath care access.

Dr. Sarah GiaQuinta of Parkview commended the winning team, adding that falls for many would not naturally rise to the top of evident health care concerns.

“That’s something that’s so preventable through screening,” said GiaQuinta, Parkview’s senior vice president of community health and equity. “As we think about interventions that are kind of that upstream approach, where they’re lower costs, they can impact whole populations of people.”