Medical costs after initiation of drug treatment for overactive bladder: effects of selection bias on cost estimates.

Objectives: To compare posttreatment medical costs for patients with overactive bladder (OAB) initiating treatment with oxybutynin chloride immediate release (oxybutynin IR), oxybutynin chloride extended release (oxybutynin ER), or tolterodine extended-release tartrate capsules (tolterodine ER).

Methods: Data were drawn from administrative claims of enrollees aged 18 years and older of a large US health plan. OAB patients were identified if at least 1 claim with an International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for OAB appeared in medical claims from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2002.

Antiepileptic drug use in nursing home admissions.

Although 1 of 10 nursing home residents is taking an antiepileptic drug (AED), no study to our knowledge has determined whether most residents are already receiving AED treatment when they are admitted or are given these drugs afterward. That differentiation was the focus of this study. The study group consisted of 10,318 residents, 65 years and older, admitted to 510 nursing homes located throughout the United States during the first quarter of 1999.

Geriatric depression, antidepressant treatment, and healthcare utilization in a health maintenance organization.

Objectives: To assess the separate effects of depressive symptoms and antidepressant treatment on healthcare utilization and cost.

Setting: Social Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) at HealthPartners in Minnesota.

Participants: Geriatric Social HMO enrollees were screened for depressive symptoms using the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale.