Comprehensive, up-to-date data isn’t just a feature of Komodo Health’s platform; it’s the key to understanding the state of U.S. public health and healthcare. Using real-world data and analytics, Komodo’s solutions can help users unearth timely insights and new learnings about how patients interact with and experience healthcare — from identifying underserved populations and revealing disparities in access to understanding what types of providers are prescribing certain medicines. Improving patient outcomes begins with a deep understanding of emerging trends — and the ability to monitor and act on them in real time. By harnessing real-time intelligence, healthcare organizations can proactively address gaps in care, optimize interventions, and drive meaningful improvements when and where they are needed most.
Using Komodo’s Healthcare Map®, the industry’s largest and most complete repository of de-identified real-world patient data, we dove deep into the biggest, most talked about healthcare trends of 2024 — as well as those topics that impact patients significantly but didn’t get as much airtime. We learned a lot. Here are the highlights:
Non-physician providers are expanding access to new postpartum depression care options
We used Komodo’s MapLab® platform to study prescription trends for women’s health conditions. One analysis focused on Zurzuvae, a novel oral medication for postpartum depression (PPD). We found that non-physician providers — such as nurse practitioners (NPs), midwives, and physician assistants (PAs) — wrote more than one in three prescriptions (35%). This reflects the growing role of these types of providers in maternal mental healthcare. We also learned that in the first six months that Zurzuvae was available, it was prescribed to just 2% of patients with PPD. Barriers such as cost, insurance coverage, and provider awareness likely impacted uptake at first, but resolved quickly. Prescriptions for Zurzuvae increased by an average of 31% month-over-month through the first half of 2024.
Few patients have yet to try the first-ever dedicated hot flash drug
We also studied Veozah, a new treatment option for hot flashes, one of the most common symptoms of menopause that has gone largely untreated. This analysis found that Veozah prescriptions rose steadily once it hit the market in 2023, from less than 900 prescriptions in June to more than 5,000 in October. However, market penetration remains low at just 0.43%, signaling a significant opportunity to increase adoption. Insurance type significantly influenced prescribing — the majority of recipients, 73%, were commercially insured, while 18% had Medicare and 9% had Medicaid.
Wildfire smoke caused a 95% spike in asthma emergencies for Hispanic children
Both the severity and frequency of wildfires have increased in recent years, especially in northern California. We linked data from Komodo’s Healthcare Map with population data from the American Community Survey, the U.S. Census, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System to understand the impact of wildfire-associated air pollution on asthma in children during the most destructive wave of wildfires, which took place in 2018 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Our analysis found that the wildfire smoke contributed to an increase in asthma-related emergencies in children. The smoke wave was associated with a 76% increase in the daily rate of asthma exacerbations and a 27% increase in the rate of daily asthma-related emergency department visits. These effects disproportionately affected children from certain racial and ethnic groups. The highest daily rate of exacerbations occurred in Hispanic/Latino children, who experienced a 95% increase in asthma emergencies. The next-highest increases occurred in Asian American and Pacific Islander children (+75%) and African American children (+63%).
ADHD prescriptions for young adults have increased 67% in five years
When a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed a post-COVID rise in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)medication prescriptions among adults aged 20-39, we used Komodo’s MapView™ solution to dive deeper into the trends. Our analysis found that prescriptions for ADHD treatment — both stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall and non-stimulants — rose 37% between 2018 and 2023. The greatest increase occurred in people age 20-39 for non-stimulant prescriptions. Prescription rates for this group were 67% higher in 2023 than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Long COVID is strongly associated with chronic fatigue
Using our MapView solution, we studied trends in long COVID. The analysis revealed that 11% of patients diagnosed with long COVID in 2022 or 2023 received a chronic fatigue diagnosis within six months. We also found that one in five cases of long COVID was diagnosed by an NP or a PA, and family physicians played the largest role in treatment.
Vasectomy rates continue to rise following Dobbs v Jackson decision
Last year, a Komodo analysis highlighted a rise in vasectomies following the Dobbs v Jackson Supreme Court ruling, which overturned Roe v Wade. We updated this research with the latest data to assess whether the trend toward increased vasectomies continued. The analysis found that, in 2023, 177 of every 100,000 U.S. men underwent a vasectomy. This is 13% higher than the rate recorded pre-Dobbs. Men in states that have more restrictive abortion laws — including Alabama, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee — sought vasectomies at higher rates than the national average. Missouri had the highest rate, which was 42% above than the national average.
More analyses to come in 2025
As we begin 2025, Komodo is committed to continue using real-world data and analytics to initiate and maintain crucial conversations around healthcare trends and outcome disparities — and to demonstrate Komodo’s ongoing commitment to building platforms that power these insights. Look out for more insights this year.
To see more articles like this, follow Komodo Health on X, LinkedIn, or YouTube, and visit Insights on our website.
