Adherence and persistence among chronic myeloid leukemia patients during second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment is lifelong, and while it is important for patients to remain adherent to treatment, there are conflicting findings with respect to differences in adherence and persistence with dasatinib or nilotinib during second-line treatment.  OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates of adherence, persistence, and discontinuation of 2 oral second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), dasatinib and nilotinib, in CML patients during their first 12 months of second-line treatment.  METHODS: Adult CML patients (ICD-9-CM: 205.1x) with 2 consecutive dasatinib or nilotinib prescription claims within 12 months were identified from the Truven Health MarketScan Databases (January 1, 2006-September 30, 2011). Patients were excluded if they had FDA-approved non-CML indications for imatinib, had less than 6 months continuous enrollment, or had a stem cell/bone marrow transplant in the 6 months pre-index. Patients were followed until the first occurrence of index TKI discontinuation/switch; enrollment end; December 31, 2011; or 12 months follow-up post-index. Index treatment (dasatinib ≤ 100 mg or nilotinib) was categorized as second-line if there was evidence of only 1 alternative TKI exposure (e.g., imatinib, dasatinib, or nilotinib) anytime during the patient's available claims history. When comparing adherence, persistence, and discontinuation, inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) was used. Adherence and persistence measures were calculated as specified by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Medication Compliance and Persistence Special Interest Group. Treatment adherence was calculated using medication possession ratio (MPR) and was reported as both continuous and binary measures (i.e., high adherence = MPR ≥ 85%). Persistence was reported as the proportion of days covered (PDC) and estimated level of persistence (ELPT). Finally, discontinuation was defined as a treatment gap of greater than 90 days and absence of index TKI during the remainder of the follow-up period. Time to discontinuation and high adherence of index TKI were compared using weighted Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models, respectively.  RESULTS: After propensity weighting, the 219 second-line dasatinib patients and the 158 second-line nilotinib patients were similar in mean age, gender, cancer complexity, and comorbidity burden at baseline. Age as a categorical measure, population density, and index year remained imbalanced and were, therefore, included as covariates in the multivariate analysis of adherence. In the bivariate analyses, mean MPR (88.2% vs. 84.4%, P = 0.036); proportion of patients with high adherence (72.7% vs. 63.3%, P = 0.006); and ELPT (70.4% vs. 62.7%, P = 0.026) were significantly higher among dasatinib patients than nilotinib patients. Mean PDC was not significantly different between dasatinib and nilotinib patients (0.79 vs. 0.77, P = 0.328) after propensity weighting. In addition, a significantly lower proportion of second-line dasatinib patients discontinued their index therapy compared with second-line nilotinib patients (4.4% vs. 8.6%, P = 0.020). With a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.50 (95% CI = 0.27-0.93, P = 0.029), dasatinib patients had half the possibility of discontinuing treatment compared with nilotinib patients at any point in time. After accounting for the baseline factors remaining imbalanced and controlling for cancer complexity and number of concomitant medications at baseline, second-line dasatinib patients were 1.7 times (95% CI = 1.2-2.4) more likely to be highly adherent than second-line nilotinib patients (P = 0.0016).  CONCLUSIONS: Among second-line TKI-treated CML patients, dasatinib patients had significantly higher adherence and lower discontinuation rates compared with patients receiving second-line nilotinib.

Coverage and use of cancer therapies in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) use on nonpharmaceutical medical spending for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and estimate the association between cost-sharing and the TKI medication possession ratio (MPR). STUDY DESIGN: The retrospective study covered the 13 years from 1997 to 2009. METHODS: Analyses were conducted using a large administrative health insurance claims database covering 45 large employers. From this database, 995 unique patients with CML were identified, with 3,765 patient-years; of these patients, 415 (or 1,689 patientyears) were TKI users. We estimated the association of TKI use with total pharmaceutical spending and total non-pharmaceutical medical spending. In addition, we characterized plan-level cost-sharing rules for TKIs and assessed whether these were associated with the MPR for TKI therapy among CML patients. RESULTS: TKI users averaged $26,406 in annual non-pharmaceutical medical spending, compared with $38,194 for non-users; this was a difference of approximately 30%, which was statistically significant at the 5% level. The median patient out-ofpocket payment was $25, which increased to $63 at the 75th percentile and to $122 at the 95th percentile. MPRs were 94.8 at the median cost-sharing level and 100.0 at the 75th percentile and higher. There was no statistically significant association between cost-sharing and MPR. CONCLUSIONS: Use of TKIs was associated with a 30% reduction in non-pharmaceutical medical spending for CML patients. This difference is approximately equal to 40% of the incremental pharmaceutical cost associated with using TKI therapy. The net annual cost of TKI therapy is roughly $15,000. An informal calculation suggests that this is well within the range of conventional cost-effectiveness thresholds. On balance, coverage of TKIs is relatively generous, with the vast majority of patients exhibiting high levels of adherence to therapy.

Adherence to a fixed-dose combination of rosiglitazone/glimepiride in subjects switching from monotherapy or dual therapy with a thiazolidinedione and/or a sulfonylurea.

BACKGROUND: In 2005, a fixed-dose combination therapy (FDCT) of rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride became available for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is hypothesized that FDCTs increase adherence by decreasing the number of required tablets. OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in medication adherence and hemoglobin A(1c) (A1C) values in subjects switching from monotherapy with either a sulfonylurea or rosiglitazone or dual therapy with both to rosiglitazone/glimepiride FDCT. METHODS: This retrospective database analysis included subjects with 1 or more prescription fills for rosiglitazone, a sulfonylurea, or rosiglitazone/glimepiride FDCT during the identification period of January 1, 2006, to September 30, 2006. Subjects were grouped according to baseline and follow-up period treatment regimens: sulfonylurea or rosiglitazone monotherapy switched to sulfonylurea and rosiglitazone dual therapy (Mono/Dual), monotherapy to rosiglitazone/glimepiride FDCT (Mono/FDCT), sulfonylurea and rosiglitazone dual therapy in both periods (Dual/Dual), and dual therapy to rosiglitazone/glimepiride FDCT (Dual/FDCT). The medication possession ratio (MPR) was calculated as a measure of adherence. The change in A1C from the baseline period to the follow-up period was assessed for each cohort. RESULTS: The study included 16,490 subjects. From baseline to follow-up, MPR decreased for both the Mono/FDCT cohort and the Mono/Dual cohort, but the magnitude of this decrease was less for the Mono/FDCT cohort (-0.02 vs -0.10; p < 0.001). Mean MPR significantly improved for the Dual/FDCT cohort compared with the Dual/Dual cohort (+0.10 vs +0.05; p < 0.001). The mean absolute A1C reduction did not differ significantly between the Mono/FDCT cohort (-1.08%) and the Mono/Dual cohort (-0.77%). Compared with the Dual/Dual cohort, the Dual/FDCT cohort experienced a greater absolute reduction in A1C (-0.06% vs -0.51%; p = 0.004). The results remained statistically significant in the multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: Switching to rosiglitazone/glimepiride FDCT, in comparison with switching to dual therapy, was associated with improvements in medication adherence and glycemic control.

Incidence and costs of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in a US commercially insured population.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate incidence, cost per episode of care, and US population burden of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: For women continuously enrolled in a US health plan from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2004, medical claims were used to identify potential CIN diagnosis. Presence and grade of CIN (CIN 1, CIN 2,3, or no CIN) were verified in medical records for a randomly selected subset (n = 254). Incidence, costs, and population burden were calculated. RESULTS: Annual incidence for CIN 1 and CIN 2,3 was 1.6 and 1.2 per 1,000 women, respectively. Incidence was highest among women aged 21 to 30 years (3.3 and 3.6 per 1,000) and women aged 31 to 40 years (2.9 and 2.7 per 1,000). Costs per episode of care were higher for CIN 2,3 ($1,634 vs $1,084). Estimated annual burden per 1,000 US women was $1,059 for CIN 1 and $1,803 for CIN 2,3. CONCLUSIONS: We estimate that 412,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with CIN annually, with an associated cost of approximately $570 million.

Prevalence and cost of HIV-associated weight loss in a managed care population.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of HIV-associated weight loss among HIV patients in a US managed care population, and compare demographic and clinical characteristics of HIV patients with and without evidence of HIV-associated weight loss. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted using a large, geographically diverse US managed care population to identify commercial enrollees with HIV/AIDS from 1/1/2005-7/31/2007, based on a combination of HIV/AIDS diagnosis codes or antiretroviral treatment. HIV-associated weight loss status was defined according to an algorithm combining evidence for weight loss-associated conditions, anorexia symptoms, and various treatments for weight loss or wasting. Among HIV patients continuously enrolled in the health plan for one year, patient demographics, treatments, and comorbidities were compared between patients with and without evidence for weight loss. RESULTS: A total of 22,535 patients with HIV/AIDS were identified, including 2098 who met the criteria for weight loss (estimated prevalence 9.3%; 95% CI: 8.9% - 9.7%). Among 12,187 continuously enrolled patients with HIV, 1006 (8.3%) had evidence of HIV-associated weight loss. Patients with HIV-associated weight loss were older (44.1 vs. 42.6 years), and more men had HIV-associated weight loss than women (8.8% vs. 5.3%). A number of comorbidities were more common among patients with HIV-associated weight loss. On average, these patients also had more ambulatory (24.0 vs. 13.4), ER (1.4 vs. 0.8), and inpatient visits (0.5 vs. 0.1). Total annual health care costs for patients with HIV-associated weight loss were more than double (mean $45,686 vs. $19,960) the costs for HIV patients without weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the availability of effective antiretroviral therapy, weight loss remains a problem among patients with HIV. Based on this analysis, almost 1 in 10 managed care patients with HIV have evidence of HIV-associated weight loss. These patients tend to have more comorbidities, use more health care resources, and incur greater costs compared to patients without HIV-associated weight loss. Patients with HIV-associated weight loss were generally sicker than the non-weight loss cohort; thus, the increased costs observed in this population may not be directly or wholly attributable to HIV-associated weight loss. In addition, limitations common to analyses of administrative claims data should be considered when interpreting these results.

A comparison of insulin use, glycemic control, and health care costs with insulin detemir and insulin glargine in insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to compare daily insulin use, glycemic control, and health care costs in insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated treatment with either insulin detemir or insulin glargine. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of health care claims data and laboratory results for adult, insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes who were enrolled in a large US managed care organization and initiated basal therapy with insulin detemir or insulin glargine between May 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006. The daily average consumption (DACON) of insulin was calculated as the total number of units dispensed (excluding the last fill) divided by the number of days between the index date and the date of the last fill of the index insulin. Glycemic control was evaluated by comparing mean glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) values in the preindex period (the 180 days before the index date) and the follow-up period (the 180 days after the index date). Mean all-cause and diabetes-related health care costs in the preindex and follow-up periods were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The analysis included 48 patients initiating therapy with insulin detemir and 258 initiating therapy with insulin glargine. The mean age of the 2 cohorts was approximately 54 years, and most patients in each cohort were male (52.1% and 59.7%, respectively). Few patients in either cohort had a baseline HbA(1c) value <7% (13% and 10%), suggesting poor glycemic control at the time of insulin initiation. After adjustment for confounders (eg, preindex diabetes medication), the DACON of insulin was comparable between cohorts (29.3 and 29.6 U/d; P = NS), as were follow-up HbA(1c) values (8.2% and 7.9%). Insulin detemir and insulin glargine also were associated with comparable mean adjusted all-cause pharmacy costs ($3074 and $2899), medical costs ($2319 and $3704), and total health care costs ($6014 and $7023). However, insulin glargine was associated with significantly higher mean adjusted diabetes-related medical costs compared with insulin detemir ($1510 vs $707, respectively; P = 0.03), as well as significantly higher mean adjusted total diabetes-related health care costs ($3408 vs $2261; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In this managed care population of insulin-naive patients who initiated therapy with insulin detemir or insulin glargine, the daily insulin dose and glycemic control did not differ significantly between the 2 insulins. However, patients receiving insulin detemir incurred lower diabetes-related medical and total health care costs.

Health care costs among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease within several large, multi-state employers.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-attributable medical resource utilization and health care costs among employed individuals and their covered dependents with COPD. METHOD: Retrospective health care claims analysis. Employees and dependents 40 to 63 years old with a diagnosis of COPD between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2002 were matched to two separate control cohorts. Medical resource utilization and health care costs were compared between cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 6445 individuals with COPD were matched to each control cohort. Mean age was 55.1 years, and cohorts were approximately 50% men. COPD subjects had significantly higher utilization and adjusted pharmacy, medical, and total health care costs than both control cohorts (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: COPD subjects had significantly higher utilization and costs than individuals without COPD. Thus, the economic burden of COPD is present in younger, working individuals, as well as in the older, retired population.

Treatment interruptions and non-adherence with imatinib and associated healthcare costs: a retrospective analysis among managed care patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

OBJECTIVES: Identify treatment interruptions and non-adherence with imatinib; examine the clinical and patient characteristics related to treatment interruptions and non-adherence; and estimate the association between treatment interruptions and non-adherence with imatinib and healthcare costs for US managed care patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). METHODS: This retrospective analysis utilised electronic healthcare claims data from a US managed care provider. Adult patients with CML (as determined by International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] diagnosis code) were identified who began treatment with imatinib from 1 June 2001 through 31 March 2004. Treatment interruptions (i.e. failure to refill imatinib within 30 days from the run-out date of the prior prescription) were identified during the 12-month follow-up period. Medication possession ratio (MPR), calculated as total days' supply of imatinib divided by 365, was also examined. Healthcare costs (i.e. paid amounts for all prescription medications and medical services received, including health plan and patient liability) were examined in three ways: (i) total healthcare costs; (ii) total healthcare costs exclusive of imatinib costs; and (iii) total medical costs. All costs were converted to US dollars (2004 values) using the medical component of the Consumer Price Index. MPR was modelled using ordinary least squares regression. Presence of treatment interruptions was modelled using logistic regression. The association between MPR and healthcare costs was estimated using a generalised linear model specified with a gamma error distribution and a log link. All models included adjustment for age, gender, number of concomitant medications, starting dose of imatinib and cancer complexity. RESULTS: A total of 267 patients were identified. Average age was approximately 50 years, and 43% were women. Mean MPR was 77.7%, with 31% of patients having a treatment interruption. However, all of these patients resumed imatinib within the study period. In this population, MPR decreased as the number of concomitant medications increased (p = 0.002), and was lower among women (p = 0.003), patients with high cancer complexity (p = 0.003) and patients with a higher starting dose of imatinib (p = 0.04). Women were approximately twice as likely as men to have a treatment interruption (p = 0.009), as were patients with a high cancer complexity (p = 0.03). After adjusting for the aforementioned covariates, MPR was found to be inversely associated with healthcare costs excluding imatinib (p < 0.001) and medical costs (p < 0.001). A 10% point difference in MPR was associated with a 14% difference in healthcare costs excluding imatinib and a 15% difference in medical costs. For example, patients with an MPR of 75% incur an additional 4072 US dollars in medical costs annually compared with patients with an MPR of 85%. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment interruptions and non-adherence with imatinib, both of which could lead to undesired clinical and economic outcomes, appear to be prevalent. Physicians and pharmacists should educate patients and closely monitor adherence to therapy, as improving adherence and limiting treatment interruptions may not only optimise clinical outcomes but also reduce the economic burden of CML.

A retrospective analysis of disability and its related costs among employees with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the frequency and cost of disability among actively employed individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of disability and claims data. Employees 40 to 63 years old with a diagnosis of COPD between January 1, 2001, and March 31, 2004, were identified, and controls were matched 2:1 to these subjects. Likelihood and cost of disability were compared between cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 2696 controls were matched to 1349 COPD subjects. Mean age was 52 years, and cohorts were approximately 50% male. A significantly (P < 0.0001) greater proportion of COPD subjects used short-term (21.8% vs 7.0%), long-term (2.4% vs 0.4%), or any disability (22.8% vs 7.3%). Associated costs were also higher among COPD subjects (8559 dollars vs 5443 dollars; P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Within a population of actively employed individuals 40 to 63 years old, COPD was found to have a substantial impact on the frequency and cost of disability.

Treatment patterns and real-world effectiveness of warfarin in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation within a managed care system.

OBJECTIVE: To examine warfarin utilization and clinical effectiveness among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation within usual clinical care in a managed care system. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of health care claims for an approximately four million member managed care organization was performed. Health plan members with a diagnosis of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in calendar year 2000 were identified and stratified into two cohorts: Warfarin Therapy (newly initiating warfarin) or Warfarin Candidates (eligible for warfarin therapy according to the ACC/AHA/ESC Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation, but did not receive warfarin). MEASUREMENTS: The occurrence of thromboembolism, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhage during a maximum 720-day follow-up were compared between cohorts, adjusting for age, gender, and other risk factors, using Cox regression. RESULTS: Among 12 539 subjects (mean age 78.0 +/- 8.8 years) with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, 4895 (39.0%) initiated Warfarin Therapy and 7644 (61.0%) were Warfarin Candidates. Event occurrences among Warfarin Therapy vs. Warfarin Candidates were: ischemic stroke, 3.7% vs. 4.5%; any thromboembolism, 7.8% vs. 10.8%; and hemorrhage, 4.4% vs. 4.9%, respectively. Warfarin therapy was not associated with an increased risk for hemorrhage (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.82-1.15), while risks for ischemic stroke and any thromboembolism were significantly reduced, by 22% (HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.65-0.93) and 34% (HR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.59-0.75), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Within usual clinical care for the managed care population examined, warfarin remains underused despite current guidelines recommending its use in nearly all patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Although utilization of anticoagulation clinics and INR values attained were unknown in this study, the observed risk reductions for ischemic stroke and thromboembolism were lower than those achieved in clinical trials, while no increased risk for hemorrhage was observed. These findings suggest that warfarin is used conservatively, and dosed cautiously, diminishing the full potential benefit of anticoagulant therapy in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

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. The index prescription was assigned as the first filled prescription of oxybutynin IR (n = 3052), oxybutynin ER (n = 4503), or tolterodine ER (n = 7027) during the subject identification period. Medical costs over the year after initiation were calculated as a function of the health plan and member liability. Independent variables were treatment cohort, sex, age group, geographic region, baseline costs, specific OAB diagnosis codes, and comorbid illnesses. To compare medical costs across treatment cohorts, multivariate regressions correcting for potential selection bias were used. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis results revealed that costs for patients taking oxybutynin IR were 48% higher than costs for patients taking tolterodine ER (P = .026), and costs for patients taking oxybutynin ER were 191% higher than costs for patients taking tolterodine ER (P <.0001). Adjusted medical costs were dollar 7486 for patients taking oxybutynin IR and dollar 14 766 for patients taking oxybutynin ER compared with dollar 5074 for patients taking tolterodine ER. CONCLUSION: Differences in medical costs that remained after adjusting for patient characteristics suggest that treatment with tolterodine ER may be associated with lower medical care utilization after initiation of therapy for OAB.

Costs associated with the management of overactive bladder and related comorbidities.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and economic impact of overactive bladder (OAB) on the management of related comorbidities in a managed care population. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a claims database. SETTING: A large managed care organization in the United States. PATIENTS: A total of 11,556 patients with OAB who were aged 18 years or older and 11,556 control subjects without OAB who were matched on propensity score. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients and controls were identified from July 1-December 31, 2001, and followed for 360 days. The propensity score for matching controls was estimated based on patient demographics and diagnosis of important clinical conditions during a 180-day preindex period. Medical claims were examined for any diagnosis of the studied comorbidities. Submitted medical charges for claims with a primary or secondary diagnosis of the studied comorbidities were analyzed. Prevalence and medical charges for depression, skin infections, and vulvovaginitis were compared between patients with OAB and control subjects by using chi2 and t tests. Prevalence and medical charges for falls and fractures, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and any comorbidity were compared by using logistic regression and general linear modeling, to adjust for additional confounders not included in the matching process. Prevalence of all comorbid conditions was significantly higher (p<0.0001) for patients with OAB than for control subjects: falls and fractures, 25.3% versus 16.1%; depression, 10.5% versus 4.9%; UTIs, 28.0% versus 8.4%; skin infections, 3.9% versus 2.3%; vulvovaginitis, 4.7% versus 1.8%; any of these comorbidities, 52.1% versus 27.9%. Mean annual medical charges were significantly higher for patients than for controls for all comorbidities: falls and fractures, $934 versus $598 (p<0.0001); depression, $93 versus $23 (p<0.0001); UTIs, $603 versus $176 (p<0.0001); skin infections, $67 versus $10 (p=0.002); vulvovaginitis, $11 versus $3 (p<0.0001); any comorbidity, $1689 versus $829 (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study quantifies the increased prevalence of and additional medical costs associated with related comorbidities in patients with OAB, emphasizing that the economic and clinical impact of OAB extends beyond the disease itself. Thus, management of patients with OAB should be of greater focus with both clinicians and health care payers.

A decade of antimicrobial susceptibilities at the University of Kentucky Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility rates for key antimicrobial agents and selective bacterial pathogens in the decade of the 1990s. METHODS: Data from 1990 to 2000 from the University of Kentucky Clinical Microbiology Laboratory were analyzed by linear regression analysis to identify agents and pathogens that show a decline in susceptibility. For selected pathogens and antimicrobial agents, predictions were made for further declines in susceptibility for 2005 and 2010. RESULTS: Significant declines in susceptibility to selected antimicrobial agents were found for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Further declines were predicted for 2005 and 2010. CONCLUSIONS: Examination of susceptibility rates over time in a university hospital medical center provides useful data for future planning. In our institution, antimicrobial susceptibility rates have significantly declined during the 1990s for certain antimicrobial agents and bacterial pathogens. We are attempting to change our antimicrobial use patterns through formulary manipulation and clinician education, which may retard or prevent such declines in the future.