Service use and costs among VA patients with schizophrenia taking risperidone or olanzapine.

Objective: The authors compared the changes in health care utilization and costs between a group of patients with schizophrenia who started treatment with risperidone and a group that started treatment with olanzapine.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients with schizophrenia who were given an initial prescription for risperidone or for olanzapine between March 1997 and March 1999. The change in utilization and cost of inpatient hospitalizations, outpatient clinic visits, medications, and total health care services from one year before to one year after initiation of treatment for the two groups was compared.