{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T19:14:54Z","timestamp":1773774894152,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,14]],"date-time":"2025-03-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1741910400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100016220","name":"Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UL1TR004419"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UL1TR004419"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100016220","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100006108","name":"National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100006108","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["The Laryngoscope"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>Professional society guidelines provide clear recommendations regarding the use of high\u2010dose steroids and\/or antiviral therapy for Bell's palsy patients. This study evaluates national trends in the care of Bell's palsy patients and identifies current treatments.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A retrospective cohort study of adult Bell's palsy patients was conducted using ICD\u20109\u2010CM and ICD\u201010\u2010CM diagnosis codes from 2013 to 2020. These patients were continuously enrolled in the employer\u2010sponsored MarketScan commercial or Medicare outpatient and prescription drug claims data for at least 1\u2009year. The main outcome of interest was prescription rates of high\u2010dose steroids and antivirals after the diagnosis date.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>In this cohort of 66,708 adult Bell's palsy patients, 29,824 (44.7%) received no treatment. 22,736 (34.1%) received combination therapy, 11,866 (17.8%) received steroids only, and 2282 (3.4%) received antivirals only. Males were more likely to receive combination therapy. 51.9% of Bell's palsy patients in this cohort received the AAO\u2010recommended treatment of steroids within 72\u2009h of diagnosis. Patients in the Southern and Western United States were more commonly prescribed combination therapy. Comorbidities such as cerebrovascular disease and symptoms like ear pain were associated with a higher likelihood of receiving combination therapy. Treatment initiation, particularly for steroids, occurred on the index date, first insurance claim, in 94.56% of cases.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Only 51.9% of Bell's palsy patients in this cohort received the AAO\u2010recommended treatment with high\u2010dose steroids with or without antiviral therapy. This research provides valuable insights into the real\u2010world management of Bell's palsy, emphasizing the need for adherence to established treatment guidelines.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Level of Evidence<\/jats:title><jats:p>N\/A<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/lary.32115","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,14]],"date-time":"2025-03-14T09:54:10Z","timestamp":1741946050000},"page":"2756-2762","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Evaluating Treatment Patterns in Bell's Palsy Using Nationwide Employer\u2010Sponsored Healthcare Claims"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"135","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0939-3715","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sujay","family":"Ratna","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9452-3942","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shaun","family":"Edalati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yehia","family":"Elkersh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Parul","family":"Agarwal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"},{"name":"Department of Population Health Science and Policy and Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science and Tisch Cancer Institute Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joshua","family":"Rosenberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mingyang","family":"Gray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  New York New York USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,14]]},"reference":[{"issue":"7","key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","first-page":"997","article-title":"Bell's Palsy: Diagnosis and Management","volume":"76","author":"Tiemstra J. 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