Risk factors for Lyme disease among residents of rural, suburban, and urban areas in the United States: A Case-Control Study.

lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, with 476,000 cases estimated each year. It is unclear how LD risk factors vary by residential setting. We conducted a case-control study on LD risk by rural, urban, and suburban residential settings.

Reasons for switching oral antipsychotic medications and related patterns of care and costs in patients with schizophrenia initiating monotherapy treatment: Claims-linked chart study.

Background: Antipsychotic switching is frequent in schizophrenia and is associated with poor clinical outcomes, increased health care resource utilization (HCRU), and increased health care costs. Research describing the reasons for antipsychotic switching in patients with schizophrenia and the associated impacts on HCRU and costs is limited.

Objective: To explore the reasons for oral antipsychotic medication (OAM) switching and describe HCRU and costs associated with OAM switching, stratified by reasons for switching, in patients with commercial or Medicare Advantage insurance in the United States.

Patterns of care and costs of switching oral antipsychotic medications in patients with schizophrenia initiating monotherapy treatment: A US claims analysis.

Background: Antipsychotic medications are the mainstay of schizophrenia therapy but may need to be changed over the course of a patient's illness to achieve the desired therapeutic goals or minimize medication side effects. Investigations of real-world treatment patterns and economic consequences associated with antipsychotic changes, including switching, are limited.

Objective: To describe treatment patterns among patients with schizophrenia who initiated oral antipsychotic medication (OAM) monotherapy and assess switching-related health care resource utilization (HCRU) and costs in US Medicare Advantage and commercially insured patients.

The Contribution of Tobacco Use to High Health Care Utilization and Medical Costs in Peripheral Artery Disease: A State-Based Cohort Analysis.

Background: Tobacco use is an important preventable cause of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and a major determinant of adverse clinical outcomes.

Objectives: This study hypothesized that tobacco use by PAD patients would be associated with higher health care utilization and associated costs.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study using 2011 claims data from the largest Minnesota health plan.