Healthcare expenditure in patients treated with venlafaxine or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for depression and anxiety.

We compared healthcare expenditure over a six-month period following initiation of therapy with either venlafaxine (immediate and extended-release) or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) in depressed patients with or without anxiety. Patients beginning treatment for a new depressive episode were identified retrospectively using the administrative data of the MEDSTAT MarketScan database for the period 1994-1999. Before beginning therapy, patients prescribed venlafaxine had more non-mental illnesses (0.85 vs 0.76; p<0.01) and hospitalisations for mental illness (0.53 vs 0.29; p<0.05) than patients prescribed SSRIs. In the six months after initiating treatment, venlafaxine was associated with lower hospitalisation expenditure for non-mental illness ($177 vs $526; p<0.01) than SSRIs, although total healthcare expenditure was not significantly different. Venlafaxine was associated with a 50% decrease in the odds of hospitalisation for non-mental illness compared with SSRIs, with significantly lower inpatient expenditure.

Long-term costs of treatment for depression: impact of drug selection and guideline adherence.

OBJECTIVES: This paper examines three processes: SSRI antidepressant choice, adherence to treatment guidelines, and long-term health care expenditures associated with antidepressant treatment for patients with a diagnosis of depression. METHODS: Patient records were abstracted from a medical claims database covering employer-provided health care plans. Treatment episodes required a 6-month antidepressant-free prior period; initial treatment with sertraline, paroxetine or fluoxetine; and data on direct medical costs over the 24 months following the initial prescription. The multivariate model of drug selection, patient adherence to antidepressant use guidelines, and cost was subjected to specification testing to rule out the possibility that nonrandom initial antidepressant selection might lead to sample selection bias. Further tests indicated that the results were free of bias due to a possible correlation between antidepressant selection and use of the medication, or because of the endogeneity of use patterns in the process driving cost. However, there was evidence of unobserved variables correlated with both achieving guideline adherent use and expenditures, which might have led to sample selection bias. RESULTS: Subjects who met the study criteria included 796 initiating therapy with sertraline, 352 with paroxetine, and 882 with fluoxetine. Fluoxetine patients were significantly more likely than sertraline or paroxetine patients to achieve a use pattern that was consistent with guidelines for treating depressive disorder (p < .05). There were no statistically significant differences between the three treatment cohorts in total direct health care expenditures over the 2-year period (p < .05), and depression-related expenditures, other mental health expenditures, and non-mental health care expenditures did not show significant differences across the treatments (p < .05). Natural logged values of antidepressant drug expenditures were predicted to be highest for fluoxetine, followed by sertraline, then paroxetine (p < .01). Predicted log values of mental health expenditures were lower for sertraline relative to fluoxetine. CONCLUSIONS: Fluoxetine patients had the highest likelihood of using antidepressant medication according to treatment guidelines that were developed to assure quality care. This benefit was achieved without incurring greater total health care expenditures.

Hospitalization and total medical costs for privately insured persons with schizophrenia.

This study used data from the 1991-1993 MarketScan files, a large database of private sector inpatient, outpatient, and prescription drug medical claims, to identify a sample of 665 patients with schizophrenia. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted on the subsamples with hospitalizations (N = 185) and without hospitalizations (N = 480) in the 1-year period following the initial diagnosis for schizophrenia observed in the 1991-1993 time period. After controlling for patient demographic characteristics, medical co-morbidities, and other factors, the cost of hospitalization itself was found to be $15,805.

Antidepressant selection and economic outcome: a review of methods and studies from clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Economic considerations increasingly play a role in the selection of antidepressant drugs and are often based on analyses from prospective and retrospective studies. However, the non-randomisation found in retrospective studies may result in significant selection bias. AIMS: To highlight the use of statistical methods in non-randomised studies and the application of those methods to economic analyses. METHOD: The literature on the observational studies of economic outcomes with alternative antidepressants is reviewed and several statistical methodologies to control for biases that can occur in non-randomised study designs are described. RESULTS: In comparisons of antidepressant drugs, differences in acquisition costs are consistently found to be at least offset by other components of care when broad measures of health care resource utilisation are considered. CONCLUSIONS: Economic evaluations of antidepressants should be based on broad measures of health care expenditure and can rely on data generated in real-world settings if appropriate statistical methods are used to control for the potential biases of non-randomisation.

Economic outcomes associated with tricyclic antidepressant and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatments for depression.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the economic outcomes associated with the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of depression. METHOD: A literature review of pertinent studies was performed. The advantages and disadvantages of clinical trials versus observational studies are described, and the breadth of the economic outcome measure chosen for the conclusions reached is discussed. RESULTS: The inclusion and exclusion criteria of clinical trials, in combination with their strict provider and patient study protocols, limit their generalizability to naturalistic treatment settings. Retrospective studies of patients can provide valuable information about the experiences and costs incurred by patients in actual treatment. However, confounding factors (both observable and unobservable) limit the amount of confidence that can be placed in inferences about treatment effects. Randomized prospective studies with naturalistic follow-on may help to mitigate some of the concern about treatment confounders which has traditionally been associated with non-randomized observational studies. CONCLUSION: Retrospective studies and one randomized prospective study of the economic outcomes of TCA versus SSRI treatment have found the SSRIs to be less expensive than TCAs when total direct medical expenditures are considered. However, additional studies are needed to address this issue.

The cost of productivity losses associated with allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the cost of absenteeism and reduced productivity associated with allergic rhinitis. METHODS: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) was used to obtain information on days lost from work and lost productivity due to allergic rhinitis. Wage estimates for occupations obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) were used to calculate the costs. RESULTS: Productivity losses associated with a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in the 1995 NHIS were estimated to be $601 million. When additional survey information on the use of sedating over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medications, as well as workers' self-assessments of their reduction in at-work productivity due to allergic rhinitis, were considered, the estimated productivity loss increased dramatically. At-work productivity losses were estimated to range from $2.4 billion to $4.6 billion. CONCLUSION: Despite the inherent difficulty of measuring productivity losses, our lowest estimate is several times higher than previous estimates of the indirect medical costs associated with allergic rhinitis treatment. The most significant productivity losses resulted not from absenteeism but from reduced at-work productivity associated with the use of sedating OTC antihistamines.

A national inpatient cost estimate of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG)-associated aspiration pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To present national estimates of the prevalence and costs of inpatient admissions for aspiration pneumonia (AP) associated with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomies (PEGs) inserted before or during an admission. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis using medical claims. PATIENTS AND METHODS: National estimates of the prevalence of inpatient admissions associated with AP and mortality rates were developed, using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Hospital Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP-3) Database. The MEDSTAT Group's MarketScan Private Pay Fee-for-Service (FFS) and Medicare FFS databases were used to calculate the percentage of admissions for AP that were preceded by a PEG or that entailed a PEG placement. Associated statistics, such as average length of stay and mean payments for these admissions, also were estimated. RESULTS: Approximately 300,000 inpatient admissions for AP took place in the United States in 1995, of which roughly 70,000 (23.9%) resulted in death. Approximately 10% of all AP admissions occurred after or entailed a PEG placement. After adjusting for differences in patients' age, gender, and health status, the total mean payments were estimated to be $26,618 per patient. This per-patient estimate translates into a national estimate of the cost of PEG-associated AP of approximately $808.2 million. CONCLUSION: The cost of PEG-associated AP is relatively high, as estimated in this study. The high inpatient mortality rates of AP imply that future efforts should be directed toward preventing AP.

SSRI antidepressant use patterns and their relation to clinical global impression scores: a naturalistic study.

BACKGROUND: A cascade of events follows initial antidepressant selection which includes the subsequent antidepressant use pattern, resultant clinical outcomes, and associated health care expenditures. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study using data from a clinical practice setting was to test whether the pattern of antidepressant use was correlated with patients' treatment response as measured by the score on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale. DATA AND METHODS: A retrospective dataset of patients who initiated therapy on fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, or sertraline in a primary care setting in Spain was used. A Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to predict the likelihood of treatment response based upon the pattern of initial antidepressant use, while minimizing the influence of other factors. RESULTS: After controlling for other observed baseline characteristics including initial disease severity, (a) patients who remained on their initial antidepressant therapy for at least 2 months with no switching, augmentation, or upward dose titration were 1.63 times more likely to experience a treatment response than patients who had an adjustment to therapy; and (b) patients who initiated therapy on sertraline were 0.46 times as likely to experience a treatment response as patients who initiated therapy on the most common study antidepressant, fluoxetine. CONCLUSION: The pattern of antidepressant use is an important determinant of treatment response among patients initiating therapy on the newer antidepressants in clinical practice.

SSRI antidepressant drug use patterns in the naturalistic setting: a multivariate analysis.

BACKGROUND: The study of the duration and pattern of antidepressant use in actual clinical practice can provide important insights into how antidepressant prescribing patterns compare with recommended depression treatment guidelines. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study, using data available from depressed outpatients in the United States, is to assess the effects of initial SSRI antidepressant selection on the subsequent pattern and duration of antidepressant use. RESEARCH DESIGN: Multiple logistic regression analysis of data from a large prescription and medical claims database (MarketScan) for the years 1993 and 1994 were used to estimate the determinants of antidepressant drug use patterns for 1,034 patients with a "new" episode of antidepressant therapy who were prescribed one of three most often prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), paroxetine, sertraline, or fluoxetine. RESULTS: Patients initiating therapy on sertraline or paroxetine were less likely than patients initiating therapy on fluoxetine to have four or more prescriptions of their initial antidepressant within the first 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that antidepressant selection is an important determinant of the initial duration and pattern of antidepressant use which is consistent with current recommended depression treatment guidelines.

[The costs of treatment with the new antidepressants in clinical practice]. / Costes del tratamiento con nuevos antidepresivos en la práctica clínica.

OBJECTIVE: To assess if, in usual clinical practice, the patterns of use of new antidepressant are associated to different health resource utilisation. DESIGN: Naturalistic, retrospective, observational study. SETTING: Urban health center. PATIENTS: DSM-IIIR diagnostic criteria of depressive disorder and treatment with a new antidepressant (n = 328). INTERVENTIONS: Information on resource utilisation was collected in those patients treated with fluoxetine (FLX), fluvoxamine (FLV) sertraline (SER), paroxetine (PAR) and venlafaxine (VLF). Direct, indirect and total costs were compared according to the different patterns of use (stable therapy, upward dose titration, switching or augmentation) and according to the initially prescribed antidepressant. The follow-up period was 6 months. RESULTS: Direct and total daily costs of those patients with unestable therapy (upward dose titration, switching or augmentation) were 55% (p < 0.01) and 87% (p = 0.001) higher than for patients with stable therapy, respectively. Patients who initiated therapy on SER, VLF and PAR had 35% (p < 0.05), 80% (p < 0.05) and 37% (p < 0.05), respectively, higher average total costs per day than patients who initiated therapy with FLX. Regarding direct costs, patients who initiated therapy on SER and VLF had 48% (p < 0.001) and 58% (p < 0.05) higher average costs per day than patients who initiated therapy with FLX. CONCLUSIONS: New antidepressants show different patterns of use in a clinical practice setting, being FLX the agent more associated to a stable pattern of use. The pattern of use is associated to different health resource utilisation. Patients under stable therapy show lower health costs than those who need upward titration, switching or augmentation strategies. It is necessary to conduct randomized naturalistic studies to confirm these results.

The application of sample selection models to outcomes research: the case of evaluating the effects of antidepressant therapy on resource utilization.

Non-randomized studies of treatment effects have come under criticism because of their failure to control for potential biases introduced by unobserved variables correlated with treatment selection and outcomes. This paper describes the basic concepts of sample selection models--a technique used widely in the economics evaluation literature for nearly two decades--and discusses the potential role of these models in outcomes research. In addition, it presents a case study of the application of the sample selection modelling approach to evaluation of the effects of antidepressant therapies on medical expenditures for physician services. This case study presents empirical comparisons of alternative model specifications and discusses practical issues in evaluation of sample selection models. We demonstrate that, in this particular case, sample selection models yield very different conclusions regarding treatment effects than traditional ordinary least squares regression.

Economic consequences of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use with drugs also metabolized by the cytochrome P-450 system.

Administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may increase plasma concentrations of concomitant medications that are also metabolized by the cytochrome P-450 system (CYP-450), in particular by the 2D6 and 3A4 isoenzymes. This may lead to side effects or other clinical events that might be expected to incur higher health-care expenditures. The purpose of this study was to assess whether there was a difference in expenditures during the first 90 days of SSRI therapy with paroxetine or sertraline versus fluoxetine in patients who were also receiving a stable dosage of a nonpsychiatric drug also metabolized by the CYP-450 2D6 or 3A4 isoenzyme systems. A sample of 2445 patients who initiated therapy with an SSRI while receiving a stable dosage of a nonpsychiatric drug was obtained from a private insurance claims database. Multivariate regression techniques were used to estimate total health-care expenditures in the first 90 days after receiving a prescription for an SSRI. After adjusting for nonrandom SSRI prescription patterns and controlling for observable and unobservable characteristics that might correlate with SSRI selection, total health-care expenditures were 95% higher for patients initiating SSRI therapy with sertraline or paroxetine compared with fluoxetine. Results suggest that there are cost differences between SSRIs during concomitant therapy with drugs also metabolized by the CYP-450 system. To determine whether there are additional differences in expenditures across SSRIs, future research should focus on (1) simultaneous initiation of SSRI therapy and a nonpsychiatric drug also metabolized by the CYP-450 enzyme system, and (2) addition of nonpsychiatric drug therapy to stable SSRI therapy. Relationships between additional expenditures, drug interactions, and clinical outcomes should also be assessed directly using medical records and patient interview data that are not available in claims-based files.

What does treatment of depression really cost?

This DataWatch presents estimates of the health care charges for adults who are diagnosed and treated for depression in primary care. More than nine out of ten of these adults sought care for at least one nondepressive illness during the year following treatment initiation. One average, these conditions accounted for more than 70 percent of the total charges. Attempts to manage the costs of caring for depressed persons must consider the impact of nondepressive illness.

The impact of female caregivers' employment status on patterns of formal and informal eldercare.

This article uses data from the 1989 National Long-Term Care Survey and its companion Informal Caregivers Survey to investigate how the employment of female primary caregivers (FPCGs) affects hours of care received by disabled elderly care recipients (CRs). Multivariage analyses controlling for key FPCG and CR characteristics indicate that when FPCGs are employed they provide significantly fewer hours of care personally; however, their CRs also receive significantly more hours of help from other sources. When FPCGs work more than 17 hours per week, their CRs receive significantly fewer total weekly hours of care than would otherwise be the case.

Antidepressant selection and use and healthcare expenditures. An empirical approach.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether 1-year total healthcare expenditures differed between patients who initiated therapy on a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) after controlling for initial antidepressant selection and antidepressant use pattern. A retrospective claims database covering a privately insured population in the US was used. Patients who initiated therapy in the outpatient setting (primary care or psychiatrist) were considered. Two-stage sample selection models were estimated that included controls for initial antidepressant selection and use pattern. The analyses indicated that: (i) self-selection due to initial antidepressant selection was a statistically significant determinant of expenditures for patients who initiated therapy on a TCA but not an SSRI; (ii) after controlling for initial antidepressant selection, antidepressant use pattern was a statistically significant and positive determinant of expenditures for both TCA and SSRI patients; and (iii) after controlling for initial antidepressant selection and use pattern, 1-year total direct healthcare expenditures were significantly lower for patients who initiated therapy on an SSRI than for patients who initiated therapy on a TCA.

Tricyclic antidepressant and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors antidepressant selection and health care costs in the naturalistic setting: a multivariate analysis.

BACKGROUND: Providers and payers have an interest in the total health care costs following the initiation of antidepressant treatment in the real world of clinical practice. Analyses of these costs can help evaluate the economic consequences of patient management decisions associated with initial antidepressant selection. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the 1-year total direct health care costs for patients initiating therapy with one of the available tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) or one of the three most often prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - paroxetine, sertraline, or fluoxetine. METHOD: A two-stage multivariate econometric model and data from fee-for-service private insurance claims between 1990 and 1994 were used to estimate the total direct health care costs following initial antidepressant drug selection for 2693 patients with a 'new' episode of antidepressant treatment. After controlling for both observed and unobserved characteristics, the 1-year total direct health care costs were found to be (1) statistically significantly lower for patients initiating therapy on fluoxetine than for patients initiating therapy on a TCA; (2) statistically significantly lower for patients who initiated therapy on fluoxetine than for patients initiating therapy on sertraline. CONCLUSIONS: Broadly considered, the findings in this study suggest that total direct health care costs differ across initial antidepressant selection after controlling for both observed and unobserved characteristics.

Effect of antidepressant therapy on health care utilization and costs in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: Four groups of patients receiving different antidepressant drugs in a primary care setting were compared in terms of duration of antidepressant therapy and health and mental health care utilization and costs. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical and pharmacy claims of an employed population and their families was conducted. A total of 1,242 patients with a diagnosis of depression were included in the analyses. The four antidepressant cohorts were fluoxetine (N = 799), trazodone (N = 89), the tricyclics amitriptyline and imipramine (N = 104), and the secondary amine tricyclics desipramine and nortriptyline (N = 250). The primary outcome measures were total health care charges, total charges for mental health services, and the pattern of antidepressant use. Secondary measures included charges for outpatient care and pharmacy and the number of outpatient visits. Data analysis involved use of two-stage multivariate regression modeling known as sample selection models. RESULTS: Patients taking fluoxetine achieved higher rates of continuous use for at least six months compared with those taking the other drugs. After selection bias due to observed and unobserved characteristics and other confounding variables was adjusted for, no significant differences were found between drug cohorts in total medical charges. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in the process of care at no apparent increase in total charges appear possible through appropriate medication therapy.

Asthma treatment costs using inhaled corticosteroids.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that affects 10 to 17.5 million people and leads to more than $5 billion in treatment costs in the Unites States annually. This retrospective study is an initial step in understanding the beneficial economic outcomes of inhaled corticosteroid therapy by determining whether differences exist in healthcare utilization expenditures for three inhaled corticosteroids available for use in the United States: (1) beclomethasone dipropionate (Vanceril/Schering and Beclovent/Allan & Hanburys); (2) flunisolide (Aerobid/Forest); and (3) and triamcinolone acetonide (Azmacort/Rhône-Poulenc Rorer). This study was based on an analysis of 4,441 patients with at least one pharmaceutical claim for one of the study drugs, using inpatient, outpatient, and prescription drug claims data obtained from The MEDSTAT Group's MarketScan database for calendar years 1990 through 1993. We tested a null hypothesis for no differences in total asthma treatment costs, when drugs were excluded, using multivariate linear regression modeling controlling for patient demographic and clinical characteristics that might affect the study outcome. We found that, after excluding study drug payments and controlling for other contributing factors, total asthma healthcare expenditures to triamcinolone acetonide (Azmacort) users were higher than those for beclomethasone dipropionate (Vanceril and Beclovent) and flunisolide (Aerobid) users. When study drug costs were included in the expenditure measure, both triamcinolone acetonide (Azmacort) and flunisolide (Aerobid) users had higher expenditures than did beclomethasone dipropionate (Vanceril and Beclovent) users. No significant differences in expenditures were detected between Vanceril and Beclovent patients, a finding consistent with the fact that these drugs are the same type of inhaled corticosteroid. Other factors contributing to differences in total asthma healthcare costs included patient age, patterns of switching among and continuing with study drugs, prestudy asthma utilization or drug proxy severity, and comorbidities of precipitating illnesses.

The demographic and employment characteristics of home care aides: a comparison with nursing home aides, hospital aides, and other workers.

This article uses data from the 1987, 1988, and 1989 Current Population Surveys (CPS) to compare the characteristics of hospital, nursing home, and home care aides. The different types of aides were identified through cross-tabulations of the detailed industry and occupation codes available in the CPS. The results verify previous findings in the literature that home care workers tend to be older, less likely to be married, and have poorer educations than other types of aides. In addition, the three types of aides fall into a clear economic continuum with hospital aides tending to be the most affluent, followed by nursing home aides, and finally, by home care workers.