Treatment patterns for patients hospitalized with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: Medication treatment patterns for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in inpatient settings were examined, as were the characteristics of patients treated with long-acting bronchodilators (LABDs) during hospitalization.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using inpatient administrative data from hospitals and medical centers nationwide. All patients discharged from the hospital from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2012, who were at least 40 years of age, had a primary discharge diagnosis of COPD or a secondary diagnosis of COPD with a primary diagnosis of a respiratory condition, and treatment with a bronchodilator were included.

Long-term health-related quality-of-life and symptom response profiles with arformoterol in COPD: results from a 52-week trial.

Background: Symptom severity is the largest factor in determining subjective health in COPD. Symptoms (eg, chronic cough, dyspnea) are associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We evaluated the impact of arformoterol on HRQoL in COPD patients, measured by St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).

Health resource utilization for inpatients with COPD treated with nebulized arformoterol or nebulized formoterol.

Objective: Arformoterol is the (R,R)-enantiomer of formoterol. Preclinical studies suggest that it is a stronger bronchodilator than the racemic (R,R/S,S)-formoterol; however, its potential clinical advantages have not been demonstrated. This study compared the length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission rates, and doses of rescue medication administered in hospitalized patients with COPD who were treated with nebulized arformoterol or nebulized formoterol.

Health Status of Patients with Moderate to Severe COPD after Treatment with Nebulized Arformoterol Tartrate or Placebo for 1 Year.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that impairs both objectively measured lung function and patient-reported health status. In a randomized clinical trial of patients with moderate to severe COPD, we compared changes in health status after adding arformoterol tartrate or placebo to patients' treatment regimens.

Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind trial, patients were randomized to receive nebulized arformoterol 15 µg BID (n = 420) or matched placebo (n = 421).

Does participation in a weight control program also improve clinical and functional outcomes for Chinese patients with schizophrenia treated with olanzapine?

Objectives: This study examined whether participation in a weight control program (WCP) by patients with schizophrenia treated with olanzapine was also associated with improvements in clinical and functional outcomes.

Methods: A post-hoc analysis was conducted using data from the Chinese subgroup (n=330) of a multi-country, 6-month, prospective, observational study of outpatients with schizophrenia who initiated or switched to oral olanzapine. At study entry and monthly visits, participants were assessed with the Clinical Global Impression of Severity, and measures of patient insight, social activities, and work impairment.

Factors associated with early response to olanzapine and clinical and functional outcomes of early responders treated for schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China.

Background: The aims of this analysis were to identify factors associated with early response (at 4 weeks) to olanzapine treatment and to assess whether early response is associated with better longer-term outcomes for patients with schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China.

Methods: A post hoc analysis of a multi-country, 6-month, prospective, observational study of outpatients with schizophrenia or bipolar mania who initiated or switched to treatment with oral olanzapine was conducted using data from the Chinese schizophrenia subgroup (n=330). Factors associated with early response were identified using a stepwise logistic regression with baseline clinical characteristics, baseline participation in a weight control program, and adherence with antipsychotics during the first 4 weeks of treatment.

The personal, societal, and economic burden of schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China: implications for antipsychotic therapy.

Background: This article describes the personal, societal, and economic burden attributable to schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China and highlights the potential for effective outpatient treatment to reduce this burden given recent changes in the Chinese health care system. The importance of effective antipsychotic therapy in reducing the burden of schizophrenia is also examined.

Methods: Published research on the burden, disability, management, and economic costs of schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China was examined in the context of the larger body of global research.

Long-term healthcare costs and functional outcomes associated with lack of remission in schizophrenia: a post-hoc analysis of a prospective observational study.

Background: Little is known about the long-term outcomes for patients with schizophrenia who fail to achieve symptomatic remission. This post-hoc analysis of a 3-year study compared the costs of mental health services and functional outcomes between individuals with schizophrenia who met or did not meet cross-sectional symptom remission at study enrollment.

Methods: This post-hoc analysis used data from a large, 3-year prospective, non-interventional observational study of individuals treated for schizophrenia in the United States conducted between July 1997 and September 2003.

An examination of costs, charges, and payments for inpatient psychiatric treatment in community hospitals.

Objective: Hospitalization is a critical component of treatment for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness. Despite its resource intensity, the costs of inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations in the United States are not well understood. The objective of this research was to provide cost estimates for inpatient psychiatric care.

Cost-effectiveness of olanzapine vs. aripiprazole in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Objective: Information about the cost-effectiveness of aripiprazole relative to other atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia is limited. This information is needed to better inform drug formulary managers and population-based health care decision makers. The objective of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of olanzapine to aripiprazole in the treatment of schizophrenia from the perspective of public payers in the United States.

Direct and indirect costs of employees with treatment-resistant and non-treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.

Objective: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) imposes substantial cost from the perspective of employers. The objective of this study was to assess direct healthcare costs and indirect (disability and medical-related absenteeism) costs associated with TRD compared with non-treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: Employees with one or more inpatient, or two or more outpatient/other MDD diagnoses (ICD-9-CM: 296.

Depression diagnoses following the identification of bipolar disorder: costly incongruent diagnoses.

Background: Previous research has documented that the symptoms of bipolar disorder are often mistaken for unipolar depression prior to a patient's first bipolar diagnosis. The assumption has been that once a patient receives a bipolar diagnosis they will no longer be given a misdiagnosis of depression. The objectives of this study were 1) to assess the rate of subsequent unipolar depression diagnosis in individuals with a history of bipolar disorder and 2) to assess the increased cost associated with this potential misdiagnosis.

Resource utilization and costs of schizophrenia patients treated with olanzapine versus quetiapine in a Medicaid population.

Objective: Compare annual health-care costs and resource utilization associated with olanzapine versus quetiapine for treating schizophrenia in a Medicaid population.

Methods: Adult schizophrenia patients were selected from deidentified Pennsylvania Medicaid claims database (1999–2003). Included patients were continuously enrolled and initiated with olanzapine or quetiapine monotherapy after a 90-day washout period.

Comparing the treatment patterns of patients with schizophrenia treated with olanzapine and quetiapine in the Pennsylvania Medicaid population.

Objective: Compare treatment patterns for patients with schizophrenia treated with olanzapine versus quetiapine in the Pennsylvania Medicaid population.

Methods: Patients (18-64 years) with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-9-CM: 295.xx) and treated with olanzapine or quetiapine were identified from the Pennsylvania Medicaid claims database (1999-2003).

Measuring use and cost of care for patients with mood disorders: the utilization and cost inventory.

Background: Researchers conducting cost-outcome studies must account for all materially relevant care that subjects receive from their care providers. However, access to provider records is often limited. This article describes and tests the Utilization and Cost Inventory (UAC-I), a structured patient interview designed to measure costs of care when access to provider records is limited.

Diagnosis of unipolar depression following initial identification of bipolar disorder: a common and costly misdiagnosis.

Background: Bipolar disorder is challenging to diagnose in medical practice.

Objectives: Our objectives were (1) to determine the rate of depression misdiagnosis in patients previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder in administrative claims, (2) to determine the resulting increased treatment costs, and (3) to verify the misdiagnoses in the medical charts for a subset of patients.

Method: We employed cohort analysis using claims from a large, commercial, U.

Medication patterns and costs associated with olanzapine and other atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

Objective: Atypical antipsychotics are playing an increasing role in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The objective of this study was to assess the medication treatment patterns and costs associated with different atypical antipsychotics.

Methods: PharMetrics Integrated Database for medical and pharmacy claims was used to assess medication patterns and healthcare costs associated with atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

An examination of factors affecting persistence with initial antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia.

Objectives: During a schizophrenia treatment episode, persistence with the initial antipsychotic may indicate optimal pharmacotherapy and be a precursor to longer-term effectiveness and other positive outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine the ability of selected variables to predict antipsychotic persistence among patients receiving olanzapine or risperidone as initial treatment.

Research Design And Methods: Data for this analysis, which was not defined in the original study protocol, came from a naturalistic, randomized, open-label trial comparing costs and effectiveness of first-line antipsychotic treatment options in schizophrenia.

Service utilization and associated direct costs for bipolar disorder in 2004: an analysis in managed care.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a chronic and costly condition. This analysis examines health care costs associated with bipolar disorder in 2004 and contrasts them with those for depression, a better understood mental illness.

Methods: Health care costs associated with bipolar disorder and non-bipolar depression were determined using private payer administrative claims.

Weight gain as a prognostic indicator of therapeutic improvement during acute treatment of schizophrenia with placebo or active antipsychotic.

Treatment-emergent weight gain may be a general marker of therapeutic improvement, even when improvements occur in the absence of active antipsychotic treatment. To investigate the association between treatment-emergent weight gain and therapeutic improvement across placebo and active treatments, and to examine the association between reported treatment-emergent weight changes and the treatments' reported efficacy. Data from a randomized, double-blind trial comparing treatment of schizophrenia with placebo and olanzapine were used to correlate weight change and change in psychopathology.

Use of administrative data to identify health plan members with unrecognized bipolar disorder: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: This retrospective cohort study used an algorithmic case-finding system on claims data from nationwide commercial health plans to validate previously identified predictors of unrecognized bipolar disorder among adults.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort design.

Methods: Using logistic regression, 2 claims data sets were evaluated to explore potential predictors; the first included claims for all healthcare encounters (all-encounters data set); the second excluded mental health provider claims (carve-out data set).

Acute weight gain, gender, and therapeutic response to antipsychotics in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Previous research indicated that women are more vulnerable than men to adverse psychological consequences of weight gain. Other research has suggested that weight gain experienced during antipsychotic therapy may also psychologically impact women more negatively. This study assessed the impact of acute treatment-emergent weight gain on clinical and functional outcomes of patients with schizophrenia by patient gender and antipsychotic treatment (olanzapine or haloperidol).

Assessing the value of antipsychotics for treating schizophrenia: the importance of evaluating and interpreting the clinical significance of individual service costs.

Schizophrenia is a serious and complex disorder, with treatment requiring a large number and wide range of health and social service resources. This paper addresses one challenge for assessing the direct costs of antipsychotic treatments - that of interpreting both cost and effectiveness implications of specific components of service use. Information collected on direct component costs has frequently been analysed and reported only in total.