
The Gaps in Endometriosis Care
Dr. Rani Aravamudhan, Senior Medical Director at Nomi Health, joins Marissa Plescia to unpack new research on endometriosis. She walks through what the data shows about the years it takes to get diagnosed, what that delay actually costs, and what providers, employers and health plans can do about it. Key Takeaways The average lead time to an endometriosis diagnosis is four to 11 years, and one in 10 women of reproductive age has the condition. Nomi Health's data shows almost $37 million a year in care costs tied to just the 12 months before diagnosis, across a defined set of commonly confused conditions. Women trying to get diagnosed see an average of four different specialties a year, often without those specialists comparing notes. A coming shift in diagnostic guidance would let providers diagnose based on history, clinical findings and imaging, rather than waiting on surgery. Dr. Aravamudhan's ask: women should advocate for themselves, providers should take symptoms seriously, and employers and health plans should treat women's health as more than maternity. Links and Resources Guest: Dr. Rani Aravamudhan, Senior Medical Director, Nomi Health Host: Marissa Plescia, MedCity News Email: mplescia@medcitynews.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marissaplescia Keywords endometriosis, women's health, Nomi Health, endometriosis diagnosis, endometriosis research, employer health costs, chronic pelvic pain, infertility, reproductive health, health plan design, women's health benefits, healthcare cost data, diagnostic delay, ACOG guidelines, claims data analytics, MedCity FemFwd, healthcare equity, employer benefits, pelvic pain, women's health vendors Episode Highlights [00:03:00 - 00:04:00] Dr. Aravamudhan explains what endometriosis is and how wide-ranging its symptoms can be. [00:04:45 - 00:05:00] The lead time to diagnosis runs four to 11 years, according to ACOG and AMA data. [00:09:40 - 00:10:00] Why Nomi Health used its own book of business data to measure the real-world cost of that delay. [00:11:00 - 00:14:00] How Nomi Health built cohorts and isolated 15 to 20 commonly confused conditions. [00:15:30 - 00:16:00] The 12 months before diagnosis cost almost $37 million a year across the dataset. [00:17:00 - 00:18:00] Diagnosed women see an average of four specialties a year, and treatment costs rise to $5,000 to $6,000 after diagnosis. [00:21:00 - 00:22:30] The surprise: most women had three or more overlapping conditions, and their specialists were not comparing notes. [00:23:40 - 00:24:50] New guidance may let providers diagnose from history and imaging instead of waiting on surgery. [00:24:50 - 00:28:00] Dr. Aravamudhan's call to action for women, providers, health plans and employers.











