Reintervention Rates After Myomectomy, Endometrial Ablation, and Uterine Artery Embolization for Patients with Uterine Fibroids.

Background: Women with uterine fibroids (UF) may undergo less invasive procedures than hysterectomy, including myomectomy, endometrial ablation (EA), and uterine artery embolization (UAE); however, long-term need for reintervention is not well characterized. We estimated reintervention rates for 5 years and identified predictors of reintervention.

Materials And Methods: A longitudinal retrospective cohort study was conducted in women in MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters (Truven Health Analytics) aged 18-49 years with UF diagnosis before myomectomy, EA, or UAE from 2008 to 2014.

Risk of Developing Comorbidities Among Women with Endometriosis: A Retrospective Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Endometriosis has been associated with higher rates of various chronic conditions, but its epidemiological data are fragmented and dated. We sought to compare the incidence of developing commonly occurring comorbidities among patients with and without endometriosis in a large, contemporary patient cohort that reflects real-world clinical practice.

Materials And Methods: A cohort of women aged 18-49 with incident endometriosis was extracted from the 2006-2015 de-identified Clinformatics DataMart commercial insurance claims database (OptumInsight, Eden Prairie, MN).

The economic impact of switching from Synthroid for the treatment of hypothyroidism.

Aims: To compare hypothyroidism-related costs for patients who continuously used Synthroid and patients who switched from Synthroid to alternative therapies.

Materials And Methods: Truven's Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database from January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2014 was queried for US adults diagnosed with hypothyroidism who initiated Synthroid and adhered to such therapy for at least 6 months. Propensity score matching matched continuous users of Synthroid to patients who switched from Synthroid to alternative levothyroxine agents.

Real-World Evaluation of Direct and Indirect Economic Burden Among Endometriosis Patients in the United States.

Introduction: The prevalence of endometriosis and the need for treatment in the USA has led to the need to explore the contemporary cost burden associated with the disease. This retrospective cohort study compared direct and indirect healthcare costs in patients with endometriosis to a control group without endometriosis.

Methods: Women aged 18-49 years with endometriosis (date of initial diagnosis = index date) were identified in the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial database between 2010 and 2014 and female control patients without endometriosis were matched by age and index year.

Impact of uterine fibroid symptoms on health-related quality of life of US women: evidence from a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Uterine fibroids (UF) are associated with significant health-related quality of life (HRQL) impact. This study examined the impact of UF symptoms on HRQL.

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey of 18 to 49 year old US women was conducted and collected demographics, UF prevalence, symptoms, and HRQL using the UFS-QOL.

Examining the Relationship Between Symptomatic Burden and Self-reported Productivity Losses Among Patients With Uterine Fibroids in the United States.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of uterine fibroid symptoms on employment and household productivity.

Methods: An online survey of US women between 18 and 54 was conducted. Productivity was assessed using the health related productivity questionnaire (HRPQ).

The Effect of Endometriosis Symptoms on Absenteeism and Presenteeism in the Workplace and at Home.

Background: Characterized by pain symptoms, endometriosis affects women's productivity in their prime working years.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of individual endometriosis symptoms on household chore and employment productivity as measured by presenteeism and absenteeism in a population survey of women with endometriosis.

Methods: An online survey of U.

The burden of endometriosis symptoms on health-related quality of life in women in the United States: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: To examine the symptomatic burden of endometriosis on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in women in the United States (US).

Methods: A cross sectional web-based survey study was conducted among women using survey panels. The survey included study-specific questions and standardized HRQL questionnaires.

Incremental direct and indirect cost burden attributed to endometriosis surgeries in the United States.

Objective: To compare direct and indirect costs between endometriosis patients who underwent endometriosis-related surgery (surgery cohort) and those who have not received surgery (no-surgery cohort).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Not applicable.

Analysis of Adherence, Persistence, and Surgery Among Endometriosis Patients Treated with Leuprolide Acetate Plus Norethindrone Acetate Add-Back Therapy.

Background: Endometriosis affects over 10 million women in the United States. Depot leuprolide acetate (LA), a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, has been used extensively for the treatment of women with endometriosis but is associated with hypoestrogenic symptoms and bone mineral density loss. The concomitant use of add-back therapies, specifically norethindrone acetate (NETA), can alleviate these adverse effects.

Analysis of subsequent surgery rates among endometriosis patients who underwent surgery with and without concomitant leuprolide acetate therapy.

Objective To compare subsequent endometriosis-related surgery following initial laparoscopy among women treated with leuprolide acetate (LA) or other endometriosis therapies versus women who received no pharmacotherapy. Research design and methods This retrospective cohort analysis utilized MarketScan Commercial claims data. Women with endometriosis aged 18-49 who underwent laparoscopy between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2011 were identified using diagnosis and procedures codes and were categorized into four cohorts based on claims within 90 days of laparoscopy: surgery plus adherent LA, surgery plus non-adherent LA, surgery plus other therapy, and surgery alone.

Costs of Parkinson's disease in a privately insured population.

Background: This is the first analysis to estimate the costs of commercially insured patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the USA. Prior analyses of PD have not examined costs in patients aged under 65 years, a majority of whom are in the workforce.

Objective: Our objective was to estimate direct and indirect costs associated with PD in patients under the age of 65 years who are newly diagnosed or have evidence of advanced PD.

Burden of a multiple sclerosis relapse: the patient's perspective.

Background: Relapses are a common feature of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and increasing severity has been shown to be associated with higher healthcare costs, and to result in transient increases in disability. Increasing disability likely impacts work and leisure productivity, and lowers quality of life.

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize from the patient's perspective the impact of a multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse in terms of the economic cost, work and leisure productivity, functional ability, and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), for a sample of patients with RRMS in the US treated with immunomodulatory agents.

Psychometric validation of the revised SCOPA-Diary Card: expanding the measurement of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

Background: To identify key non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) to include in a daily diary assessment for off-time, revise the Scales for Outcomes of Parkinson's disease Diary Card (SCOPA-DC) to include these non-motor symptoms, and investigate the validity, reliability and predictive utility of the Revised SCOPA-DC in a U.S. population.

Examination of the UPDRS bradykinesia subscale: equivalence, reliability and validity.

Administering items or subscales separately from the measure for which they were designed to be a part may have unintended consequences for research and practice in Parkinson's disease (PD). The current study tested the equivalence of the bradykinesia subscale when administered alone versus as a component of the full 14-item Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor examination, as well as examined the reliability and validity of the bradykinesia subscale. The study sample consisted of 112 patients with PD.

Drug therapies for Parkinson's disease: A database analysis of patient compliance and persistence.

Background: Evaluating medication adherence in Parkinson's disease (PD) is important to avoid erroneously attributing suboptimal patient outcomes from poor compliance to disease progression or adverse responses to medications.

Objective: This study of patients with PD who were new to PD drug therapy examined patient compliance and persistence, by drug, to provide a comprehensive investigation of medication-taking behavior in PD.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients receiving a new PD drug between March 1 and May 31, 2007, was conducted, using the IMS Health longitudinal prescription database, which contains ∼50% of all retail prescriptions and <150 million patients in the United States.

Glatiramer acetate and interferon beta-1a for intramuscular administration: a study of outcomes among multiple sclerosis intent-to-treat and persistent-use cohorts.

Objective: To study outcomes of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with either glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) or interferon beta-1a for once-weekly, intramuscular administration (Avonex).

Methods: An 'intent-to-treat' (ITT) cohort (n=1282) was established, consisting of patients diagnosed with MS who began therapy on either glatiramer acetate (GA) or intramuscular interferon beta-1a (IFN beta-1a-IM) and had continuous insurance coverage from 6 months before to 24 months after the date when they began taking the medication. A 'persistent use' (PU) cohort (n=639) was also constructed, consisting of individuals who, in addition to the criteria listed above, had a claim for GA or IFN beta-1a-IM within 28 days of the end of the 2-year post-period.

Cost sharing, benefit design, and adherence: the case of multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: The authors focus on understanding the relationship between costs and cost sharing on medication adherence for individuals who initiated a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). DMTs reduce the risk of relapse and are an essential component of MS treatment. Furthermore, the authors compare monthly payment levels for copayments versus coinsurance and estimate the effects on adherence.

Cost effectiveness of glatiramer acetate and natalizumab in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: Disease-modifying drugs are a significant expenditure for treating multiple sclerosis. Natalizumab (NZ) has been shown to be effective in reducing relapses and disease progression. However, assessment of the cost effectiveness of NZ compared with other disease-modifying drugs in the presence of long-term data has been limited.

Glatiramer acetate and interferon beta-1b: a study of outcomes among patients with multiple sclerosis.

Introduction: To study the medical cost and probability of relapse in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with either glatiramer acetate (GA) or interferon beta-1b (IFN beta.1b).

Methods: Data were obtained from the i3 InVision Data Mart Database from July 2001 to June 2006.

Impact of co-prescribed glatiramer acetate and antihistamine therapy on the likelihood of relapse among patients with multiple sclerosis.

We conducted a retrospective database study to examine the risk of relapse among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were simultaneously prescribed glatiramer acetate (GA) and antihistamine (AH) therapy. Medical and pharmacy claims data were culled from the PharMetrics Patient-Centric Database from January 1997 to March 2004. GA users were identified and followed until discontinuation or end of health-plan enrollment.

Glatiramer acetate versus interferon beta-1a for subcutaneous administration: comparison of outcomes among multiple sclerosis patients.

Introduction: We compared the outcomes of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with either glatiramer acetate (GA) (Copaxone, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Israel) or interferon beta-1a for subcutaneous administration (IFN beta-1a-SC) (Rebif, Merck Serono, Switzerland).

Methods: Data were obtained from i3's Lab Rx Database from July 2001 to June 2006. We established an 'intent-to-treat' (ITT) cohort (n=845) of patients diagnosed with MS who began therapy on either GA (n=542) or IFN beta-1a-SC (n=303) and had continuous insurance coverage from 6 months before to 24 months after the date they began taking the medication.

Cost-effectiveness of four immunomodulatory therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a Markov model based on long-term clinical data.

Background: Before the introduction of the immunomodulatory therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment options for MS consisted of symptomatic management (physical therapy and pharmacological treatment for symptom management). Symptomatic management for MS has been supplemented in the past decade by 2 new classes of immunomodulatory therapies that have been approved as first-line treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS): subcutaneous glatiramer acetate (SC GA) and 3 beta-interferons: intramuscular interferon beta-1a (IM IFNbeta-1a), SC IFNbeta-1a, and SC IFNbeta-1b.

Objective: To estimate the economic outcomes of 5 treatment strategies: symptom management alone, symptom management combined with SC GA, IM IFNbeta1-a, SC IFNbeta1-a, or SC IFNbeta1-b in patients diagnosed with RRMS.

Burden of illness in Parkinson's disease.

This study quantifies direct medical care costs for individual patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and projects total national costs of PD. Anonymous, patient-level data on health care utilization and cost were obtained from Medstat's MarketScan Research Databases. Patients were selected for study if they had either two instances of a diagnosis of PD or one diagnosis and two or more prescriptions for PD-related medication.