Development of computerized alerts with management strategies for 25 serious drug-drug interactions.

Purpose: The development of computerized alerts with management strategies for 25 drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is described.

Summary: To ensure that clinicians, when confronted with any of 25 serious DDIs in the ambulatory care setting, can avoid these DDIs while treating patients with appropriate medications, management strategies were developed using a consensus approach. Several methods were used to ensure that the recommended alternatives were truly safe.

Consumer understanding and satisfaction associated with a 3-tier prescription drug benefit.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to investigate consumer understanding and satisfaction associated with a 3-tier prescription drug benefit among users of the prescription drug benefit.

Methods: This study involved a self-administered postal questionnaire and the use of prescription drug claims to evaluate utilization of prescription medications. Fifteen hundred subjects were randomly selected based on the following inclusion criteria.

Industry's perception of presenting pharmacoeconomic models to managed care organizations.

Background: Previous research has shown that pharmacoeconomic (PE) data are considered important but may not be optimally utilized by decision makers. No research has compared the effectiveness of different types of PE models.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived value and understanding of PE models among decision makers in managed care organizations.

Approaches to pharmacy benefit management and the impact of consumer cost sharing.

Background: Numerous mechanisms have been introduced to deliver prescription drug benefits while controlling pharmaceutical costs. An understanding of the most prominent mechanisms of benefit management is an important step in determining the most effective approach to take in future years.

Objectives: The aims of this review were to illustrate the mechanisms by which managed care has attempted to efficiently and equitably deliver pharmacy benefits and to discuss the impact of such programs, including consumer cost sharing.

Patterns of antidepressant use among children and adolescents.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of new antidepressant use among children and adolescents and to determine whether the duration of treatment was sufficient.

Methods: A retrospective 12-month analysis was conducted of claims data for a cohort of nine- to 18-year-old new users of antidepressants in an Ohio Medicaid population. Treatment duration was categorized into five time intervals reflecting initial treatment through various continuation periods.