Benefit design and specialty drug use.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Goldman DP
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6349207 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Sep-Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Benefit design and specialty drug use.
Goldman Dana P DP Joyce Geoffrey F GF Lawless Grant G Crown William H WH Willey Vincent V
Health affairs (Project Hope) 20060901 5
In this paper we examine spending by privately insured patients with four conditions often treated with specialty drugs: cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. Despite having employer-sponsored health insurance, these patients face substantial risk for high out-of-pocket spending. In contrast to traditional pharmaceuticals, we find that specialty drug use is largely insensitive to cost sharing, with price elasticities ranging from 0.01 to 0.21. Given the expense of ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundInsurance benefit features play a role in determining access to specialty mental health care. Previous research, primarily examining the effects of copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles in a fee-for-service setting, has concluded that specialty mental health use is highly sensitive to changes in financial requirements. Less is known about the effects of other benefit features and the effects of all of these features in a managed care environment.Aims of the studyDetermine whether increased generosity of three types of benefit features was associated with increases in specialty mental health use and expenditures in a managed care setting. Secondary analyses investigated whether these associations varied by income level.MethodsA first-differences design used linked claims, enrollment, and benefit data for 1,242,949 non-elderly adults (aged 18-64) with employer-sponsored insurance, before (2009) and after (2011) national behavioral health parity implementation. The data were provided by a large national managed behavioral health organization. Benefit design features included combined cost sharing from copayment and coinsurance, deductibles, the presence of annual use limits, cost sharing penalties associated with services used without getting required prior-authorization, and provider network. Outcomes included visits/days, total expenditures and patient out-of-pocket expenditures for individual psychotherapy and inpatient use, with separate values for in-network and out-of-network (OON) service use. Ordinary least squares regression was performed on change scores (2011 minus 2009 values) of all outcomes to implement the first-differences study design and normalize distributions of otherwise heavily skewed (towards zero) variables. Regressions stratified by higher income (>=USD75,000) and net worth (>=USD100,000) and lower income/net worth were also conducted.ResultsFor in-network individual psychotherapy, larger increases in cost sharing from copayment and coinsurance were modestly associated with larger decreases in use and total expenditures (beta_visits=--0.00008, p-value=0.030; beta_total expenditures=USD--0.00629, p-value=0.011), and elimination of treatment limits was associated with larger increases in use (beta=0.09637, p-value=0.002) and total expenditures (beta=USD6.57506, p-value=0.001). These results were observed among all enrollees of plans that covered in-network and out-of-network plans and among a sub-set of these enrollees who did not change plans between 2009 and 2011. Benefit features had fewer associations with inpatient care and OON services.DiscussionElimination of limits was associated with small average increases in in-network individual psychotherapy utilization and expenditures. Cost sharing sensitivities of individual psychotherapy visits to financial requirements reported here were small, and resembled previous findings based in a managed care setting, which were smaller than findings based on the fee-for-service settings. Cost sharing may not pose a practical barrier to specialty behavioral health for non-elderly adults with employer-sponsored managed care plans. However, the influence of cost sharing may vary by specific healthcare needs, something that should be explored in further research.
| S-EPMC10027396 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Although prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) have been widely implemented to potentially reduce abuse of prescription opioids, there is limited data on variations in PDMP use by prescriber specialty. Such knowledge may guide targeted interventions to improve PDMP use. METHODS:Using data from Washington state Medicaid program, we performed a retrospective cohort study of opioid prescribers and their PDMP queries between Nov 1, 2013 and Oct 31, 2014. PDMP registration was mandatory for emergency physicians, but not for other providers. The unit of analysis was the prescriber. The primary outcome was any prescriber queries of the PDMP. We used multivariate regression models to identify variations in PDMP queries by prescriber specialty, as well as to explore explanatory pathways for observed variations. RESULTS:We studied 17,390 providers who prescribed opioids, including 8718 (50%) who were not registered with PDMP, 4767 (27%) who were registered but had no recorded use of the PDMP, and 3905 (23%) PDMP users (queries/user: median 18, IQR 5-64). Compared to general medicine physicians, PDMP use was higher for emergency physicians (OR 1.4, 95%CI: 1.2-1.7), and lower for surgical specialists (OR 0.1, 95%CI: 0.08-0.1), obstetrician-gynecologists (OR 0.2, 95%CI: 0.1-0.2) and dentists (OR 0.4, 95%CI: 0.4-0.5). Higher use by emergency physicians appeared to be mediated by higher registration rates, rather than by provider level predilection to use the PDMP. CONCLUSIONS:A minority of opioid prescribers to Medicaid beneficiaries used the PDMP. We identified variations in PDMP use by prescriber specialty. Interventions to increase PDMP queries should target both PDMP registration and PDMP use after registration, as well as specialties with current low use rates.
| S-EPMC6453570 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo examine the impact of cost-sharing increases on continuity of specialty drug use in Medicare beneficiaries with multiple sclerosis (MS) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Data sources/study settingFive percent Medicare claims data (2007-2010).Study designQuasi-experimental study examining changes in specialty drug use among a group of Medicare Part D beneficiaries without low-income subsidies (non-LIS) as they transitioned from a 5 percent cost-sharing preperiod to a ≥25 percent cost-sharing postperiod, as compared to changes among a disease-matched contemporaneous control group of patients eligible for full low-income subsidies (LIS), who faced minor cost sharing (≤$6.30 copayment) in both the pre- and postperiods.Data collection/extraction methodsKey variables were extracted from Medicare data.Principal findingsRelative to the LIS group, the non-LIS group had a greater increase in incidence of 30-day continuous gaps in any Part D treatment from the lower cost-sharing period to the higher cost-sharing period (MS, absolute increase = 10.1 percent, OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.19-2.17; RA, absolute increase = 21.9 percent, OR = 2.75, 95% CI 2.15-3.51). The increase in Part D treatment gaps was not offset by increased Part B specialty drug use.ConclusionsCost-sharing increases due to specialty tier-level cost sharing were associated with interruptions in MS and RA specialty drug treatments.
| S-EPMC6056595 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We developed and validated a small-footprint array of miniature chemostats built from readily available parts for low cost. Physiological and experimental evolution results were similar to larger volume chemostats. The ministat array provides a compact, inexpensive, and accessible platform for traditional chemostat experiments, functional genomics, and chemical screening applications.
2012-12-21 | GSE36691 | GEO
Project description:We developed and validated a small-footprint array of miniature chemostats built from readily available parts for low cost. Physiological and experimental evolution results were similar to larger volume chemostats. The ministat array provides a compact, inexpensive, and accessible platform for traditional chemostat experiments, functional genomics, and chemical screening applications. Three experiments are gene expression comparisons between three ministat cultures and a single Sixfors sample. The four CGH arrays are individual clones evolved in four sulfate limitation ministats compared to a wt ancestor strain.
2012-12-21 | E-GEOD-36691 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:IntroductionThe Institute of Medicine and American Heart Association have called for tiered accreditation standards and regionalization of post-cardiac arrest care, but there is little data to support that regionalization has a durable effect on patient outcomes. We tested the effect of treatment at a high-volume center on long-term outcome after sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).MethodsWe included patients hospitalized at one of 7 medical centers in Southwestern Pennsylvania after SCA from 2005 to 2013. Centers were one regional referral center with an organized systems for post-SCA care, two moderate volume tertiary care centers and 4 low-volume centers. We abstracted clinical characteristics and outcomes at hospital discharge, and for survivors to discharge we queried the National Death Index for long-term survival data. We used Cox regression to determine the unadjusted associations of baseline predictors and survival, and built an adjusted model controlling for baseline predictors.ResultsOverall, 987 patients survived to discharge. During 2196 person-years of follow-up, median survival was 5.3 years and there were 396 deaths. In unadjusted analysis, treating center, age, arrest location, Charlson Comorbidity Index, initial rhythm, cardiac catheterization, defibrillator placement, discharge disposition, and neurological status at discharge were associated with long-term outcome. In adjusted analysis, treatment at the high-volume cardiac arrest center was associated with improved survival compared to treatment at other centers (hazards ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.19-1.86).ConclusionTreatment at a high-volume cardiac arrest center with organized systems for post-arrest care is associated with a substantial long-term survival benefit after hospital discharge.
| S-EPMC5850957 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCombatting antimicrobial resistance requires a One Health approach to antimicrobial stewardship including antimicrobial drug (AMD) use evaluation. Current veterinary AMD prescribing data are limited.ObjectivesTo quantify companion animal AMD prescribing in primary care and specialty practice across 3 academic veterinary hospitals with particular focus on third-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and carbapenems.AnimalsDogs and cats presented to 3 academic veterinary hospitals from 2012 to 2017.MethodsIn this retrospective study, AMD prescribing data from 2012 to 2017 were extracted from electronic medical records at each hospital and prescriptions classified by service type: primary care, specialty practice or Emergency/Critical Care (ECC). Hospital-level AMD prescribing data were summarized by species, service type, AMD class, and drug. Multivariable logistic full-factorial regression models were used to estimate hospital, year, species, and service-type effects on AMD prescribing. Estimated marginal means and confidence intervals were plotted over time.ResultsThe probability of systemic AMD prescribing for any indication ranged between 0.15 and 0.28 and was higher for dogs than cats (P < .05) apart from 2017 at hospital 1. Animals presented to primary care were least likely to receive AMDs (dogs 0.03-0.15, cats 0.03-0.18). The most commonly prescribed AMD classes were aminopenicillins/β-lactamase inhibitors (0.02-0.15), first-generation cephalosporins (0.00-0.09), fluoroquinolones (0.00-0.04), nitroimidazoles (0.01-0.06), and tetracyclines (0.00-0.03). Among the highest priority classes, fluoroquinolones (dogs 0.00-0.09, cats 0.00-0.08) and third-generation cephalosporins (dogs 0.00-0.04, cats 0.00-0.05) were most frequently prescribed.Conclusions and clinical importanceAntimicrobial drug prescribing frequencies were comparable to previous studies. Additional stewardship efforts might focus on fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins.
| S-EPMC8163138 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundStructured, descriptive approaches are utilized by drug regulatory agencies to support and communicate approval decisions about human drugs and biologics. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses the Benefit-Risk Framework (BRF), which has been integrated into its drug review process. This paper reviews how FDA review teams have used the BRF to communicate approval decisions.MethodsThis paper (1) uses content analysis to systematically review the decision factors communicated by FDA review teams in all BRFs associated with novel drugs approved by FDA in 2017-2018 and (2) presents a case study about how the BRF was used for three drugs approved for HIV-1 in 2018-2019.ResultsThe content analysis found most BRFs for novel drug approvals communicate what we call an "urgent" context and complicating decision factors around benefit and/or risk; the HIV-1 case study highlights the flexibility of the structured BRF tool.ConclusionsFDA's BRF provides a flexible mechanism for communicating important decision factors, allowing it to support the diversity of drug approval decisions made by FDA.
| S-EPMC7785646 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Selecting the most appropriate protein sequences is critical for precision drug design. Here we describe Haplosaurus, a bioinformatic tool for computation of protein haplotypes. Haplosaurus computes protein haplotypes from pre-existing chromosomally-phased genomic variation data. Integration into the Ensembl resource provides rapid and detailed protein haplotypes retrieval. Using Haplosaurus, we build a database of unique protein haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes dataset reflecting real-world protein sequence variability and their prevalence. For one in seven genes, their most common protein haplotype differs from the reference sequence and a similar number differs on their most common haplotype between human populations. Three case studies show how knowledge of the range of commonly encountered protein forms predicted in populations leads to insights into therapeutic efficacy. Haplosaurus and its associated database is expected to find broad applications in many disciplines using protein sequences and particularly impactful for therapeutics design.
| S-EPMC6175845 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAlthough Medicare Part D improved drug benefits for many beneficiaries, its impact on the coverage of Medicare Advantage Part D (MAPD) enrollees depended on their pre-existing benefits and whether they had gap coverage under Part D.ObjectiveTo examine changes in prescription drug utilization and expenditures associated with drug benefit changes resulting from the implementation of Part D.PatientsWe studied 248,773 continuously enrolled MAPD patients in eight states. Patients whose insurance product or Census block could not be identified or who had atypical benefits, low-income subsidies or Medicaid coverage were excluded.Main measuresThe main outcomes were changes in prescription drug days supply and expenditures from 2005 to 2006 and 2005 to 2007.DesignWe linked Census data with 2005-7 MAPD claims, encounter, enrollment, and benefits data and estimated associations of the outcomes with changes in drug benefits, controlling for 2005 comorbidities, demographics, and Census population characteristics.Key resultsMAPD enrollees whose drug benefits became potentially less generous after Part D had the smallest increases in drug utilization and expenditures (e.g., drug expenditures increased by $130 between 2005 and 2006), while those who potentially gained the most from Part D experienced the largest increases ($302). The differences in benefit design changes had a stronger association with drug utilization and outcomes among patients at high risk of gap entry than among the entire sample.ConclusionsAlthough Medicare Part D unambiguously improved drug coverage for many elderly, it led to heterogeneous changes in drug benefits among MAPD enrollees, who already had generic and sometimes branded drug benefits. After 2006, benefits were worse for individuals who had branded drug coverage in 2005 but now had a coverage gap, but benefits may have improved for individuals who acquired branded drug coverage. Commensurate with these differential changes in benefits following Part D, changes in drug utilization and expenditures varied substantially as well.
| S-EPMC3181315 | biostudies-literature