How Medicare Part D benefit phases affect adherence with evidence-based medications following acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: Assess impact of Medicare Part D benefit phases on adherence with evidence-based medications after hospitalization for an acute myocardial infarction.

Data Source: Random 5 percent sample of Medicare beneficiaries.

Study Design: Difference-in-difference analysis of drug adherence by AMI patients stratified by low-income subsidy (LIS) status and benefit phase.

Use and spending on antineoplastic therapy for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer.

Background: Oral antineoplastic drugs, not generally covered by Medicare Part B, have assumed an increasingly important role in cancer treatment.

Objective: We examined use and spending on infused/injected (Part B covered) and non-Part B antineoplastic agents in a Medicare beneficiary population with cancer, and the effect of supplemental insurance.

Research Design: This retrospective, observational study used pooled 1997-2007 data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, linked to Medicare claims.

How does drug treatment for diabetes compare between Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MAPDs) and stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs)?

Objective: To compare the use of guideline-recommended prescription medications for diabetes among Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) with Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MAPDs) in the presence of potential selection bias.

Data Sources/study Setting: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Chronic Condition Data Warehouse (2006, 2007).

Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional comparison of drug use and proportion of days covered (PDC) for oral-antidiabetics, ACE-inhibitors/ARBs, and antihyperlipidemics among PDP and MAPD enrollees with diabetes.

Association of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease maintenance medication adherence with all-cause hospitalization and spending in a Medicare population.

Background: Although maintenance medications are a cornerstone of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management, adherence remains suboptimal. Poor medication adherence is implicated in poor outcomes with other chronic conditions; however, little is understood regarding links between adherence and outcomes in COPD patients.

Objective: This study investigates the association of COPD maintenance medication adherence with hospitalization and health care spending.

Impact of maintenance therapy on hospitalization and expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with high levels of hospitalization and health care expenditures among the aged. Adherence to appropriate maintenance drug regimens has been reported to reduce hospitalization and health care spending in clinical trials. However, little research has been conducted to compare use versus nonuse of these medications in terms of health-related outcomes in routine practice.

Assessment of Seizure Severity with Adjunctive Lamotrigine Therapy: Results from a U.S. Observational Study.

THE ADJUNCTIVE LAMICTAL (LAMOTRIGINE) IN EPILEPSY: Response to Treatment (ALERT) study was an observational study designed to assess the safety of lamotrigine in patients with refractory partial seizures when used in a general practice setting. We measured the impact of adjunctive lamotrigine therapy for 16 weeks on the severity of seizures using the Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (LSSS). This questionnaire was scored using a revised scoring procedure that assesses the impact of treatment on the patients "most severe seizure.

Health care utilization and costs among privately insured patients with bipolar I disorder.

Objective: This study examined health care resource utilization and direct health care costs among patients diagnosed with bipolar I disorder in a privately insured population.

Methods: Health care claims data for 2883 patients with a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder were compared over a 1-year period (1997) with claims data for 2883 randomly selected, age- and sex-matched, non-bipolar patients, all covered under the same large private insurer in USA. Resource use (i.

Medical resource use among patients treated for bipolar disorder: a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive analysis.

Background: Detailed assessments of the direct costs related to bipolar disorder and of the burden it places on the health care system are limited.

Objective: In this retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive analysis, we assessed prescription medication and other medical resource use in bipolar disorder in an insured population in the northeastern United States.

Methods: Number and types of prescription drugs, medical encounters, and respective costs were derived from a New England insurer database for 1996.