The Economic Burden of Opioid Abuse: Updated Findings.

Background: Opioid pain relievers can be highly effective in providing relief for patients suffering from pain. At the same time, prescription opioid abuse, dependence, overdose, and poisoning (hereinafter "abuse") have become a national public health concern. Opioid abuse is also costly: previous estimates of the annual excess costs of opioid abuse to payers range from approximately $10,000 to $20,000 per patient.

Functional limitations and health care resource utilization for individuals with cognitive impairment without dementia: Findings from a United States population-based survey.

Introduction: Little is known about functional limitations and health care resource utilization of people with cognitive impairment with no dementia (CIND).

Methods: Respondents with stable or progressive cognitive impairment (CI) after the first (index) indication of CIND in 2000-2010 were identified from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Respondents never exhibiting CI were identified as potential controls.

Basal Insulin Persistence, Associated Factors, and Outcomes After Treatment Initiation: A Retrospective Database Study Among People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Japan.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to assess basal insulin persistence, associated factors, and economic outcomes for insulin-naïve people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Japan.

Methods: People aged at least 18 years with T2DM with first claim for basal insulin between May 2006 and April 2013 (index date), no insulin use before index date, and continuous insurance coverage for 6 months before (baseline) and 12 months after index date were selected from the Japan Medical Center Database. On the basis of whether there were at least 30-day gaps in basal insulin treatment, patients were classified as continuers (no gap), interrupters (at least one prescription after gap), and discontinuers (no prescription after gap).

Characteristics of High-Cost Patients Diagnosed with Opioid Abuse.

Background: Prescription opioid abuse is associated with substantial economic burden, with estimates of incremental annual per-patient health care costs of diagnosed opioid abuse exceeding $10,000 in prior literature. A subset of patients diagnosed with opioid abuse has disproportionately high health care costs, but little is known about the characteristics of these patients. 

Objective: To describe the characteristics of a subset of patients diagnosed with opioid abuse with disproportionately high health care costs to assist physicians and managed care organizations in targeting interventions at the costliest patients.

Estimating the health care burden of prescription opioid abuse in five European countries.

Background: Opioid abuse, including abuse of prescription opioids ("RxOs") and illicit substances like heroin, is a serious public health issue in Europe. Currently, there is limited data on the magnitude of RxO abuse in Europe, despite increasing public and scientific interest in the issue. The purpose of this study was to use the best-available data to derive comparable estimates of the health care burden of RxO abuse in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (EU5).

The Burden of Undiagnosed Opioid Abuse Among Commercially Insured Individuals.

Objectives: Estimate the prevalence and healthcare costs of undiagnosed opioid abuse among commercially insured individuals.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of de-identified pharmacy and medical claims data and publicly-available survey data (no IRB approval required).

Methods: This study focused on commercially insured individuals.

The economic burden of diagnosed opioid abuse among commercially insured individuals.

The abuse of prescription opioids imposes a substantial public health and economic burden. Recent research using administrative claims data has substantiated the prevalence and cost of opioid abuse among commercially insured individuals. Although administrative claims data are readily available and have been used to effectively answer research questions about the burden of illness for many different conditions, an important issue is the reliability, replicability, and generalizability of estimates derived from different databases.