An Assessment of Three Post-Discharge Drug-Based Quality Assurance Events for Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries Enrolled in a Stand-Alone Part D Plan.

This article examines the distribution of drug-based quality assurance events (QAEs) post-discharge across five-day increments and identifies characteristics associated with post-discharge QAEs. Data were obtained through a cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and over enrolled in stand-alone Part D plans during calendar year 2010. Our findings suggest an even more compressed timeframe than previously identified in the literature for addressing medication issues among elderly beneficiaries.

An Assessment of Performance Between Medicare Advantage and Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans on Two Quality Assurance Measures.

The purpose of our study was to compare performance between Medicare Advantage and stand-alone prescription drug plans on the two quality assurance measures of drug-disease interaction and drug-drug interaction for elderly heart failure beneficiaries. Performance on the drug-disease interaction measure appeared more problematic for stand-alone plan enrollees compared with Medicare Advantage plan enrollees. No statistical difference existed between the plans regarding drug-drug interactions.

Noncompliance in the use of cardiovascular medications in the Medicare Part D population.

Objectives: (1) to assess non-compliance among Medicare Part D recipients for the cardiovascular medication classes; (2) to identify the probability of noncompliance for each medication class when controlling for the potential risk factors of age, gender, race/ethnic origin, census region, disease burden, dual eligibility enrollment status, Part D plan status, relative out-of-pocket (OOP) non-class costs, and relative OOP daily class costs.

Design: Cross sectional retrospective review of 2007 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Part D data. All drugs within a drug class were used to conduct the assessment.

Endocrine therapy use among elderly hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients enrolled in Medicare Part D.

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend that women with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer receive endocrine therapy (selective estrogen receptor modulators [SERMs] or aromatase inhibitors [AIs]) for five years following diagnosis.

Objective: To examine utilization and adherence to therapy for SERMs and AIs in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.

Data: Linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data.

Applying the 2003 Beers update to elderly Medicare enrollees in the Part D program.

Background: Inappropriate prescribing of certain medications known as Beers drugs may be harmful to the elderly, because the potential risk for an adverse outcome outweighs the potential benefit.

Objectives: (1) To assess Beers drug use in dual enrollees compared to non-duals; (2) to explore the association between dual enrollment status and Beers use, controlling for the effects of age, gender, race/ethnicity, census region, and health status; (3) to assess which medication therapeutic category had the highest Beers use.

Design: Cross sectional retrospective review of 2007 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service Part D data.

National study of prescription poisoning with psychoactive and nonpsychoactive medications in Medicare/Medicaid dual enrollees age 65 or over.

The purpose of this study is to assess prescription medication poisoning among psychoactive and nonpsychoactive medications used by elderly (65 years or older) Medicare & Medicaid dual enrollees as well as examine contextual components associated with poisoning. Our primary research goal was to compare medication poisonings among psychoactive medications to nonpsychoactive medications. Our second research goal was to identify components influencing medication poisonings and how they interrelate.

National study of medications associated with injury in elderly Medicare/Medicaid dual enrollees during 2003.

Objectives: To address the association between inappropriate prescribing for the elderly and adverse outcomes and to identify the magnitude of the cost of medication-associated injury in this population.

Design: Cross sectional.

Setting: United States, 2003.