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Lumbreras AG, Hurwitz JT, Liang X, Schippers S, Phillip K, Bhattacharjee S, Waters HC, Malone DC. Insights into insurance coverage for digital therapeutics: A qualitative study of US payer perspectives. J Manag Care Spec Pharm 2024; 30:313-325. [PMID: 38555623 PMCID: PMC10982577 DOI: 10.18553/jmcp.2024.30.4.313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the last decade there has been an increase in the development and marketing of digital therapeutic (DTx) products aiming to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease. Health insurance coverage for these products is not well established, and payers are facing increasing pressure to include these products as a covered benefit. OBJECTIVE To examine factors and characteristics that could drive health insurance coverage of DTx products from US payers' and coverage decision-makers' perspectives. METHODS This was a qualitative noninterventional, cross-sectional study conducted from August 2022 to October 2022. Virtual focus group meetings with pharmacy benefit managers/directors or medical directors representing a range of health insurance organizations were held following a semistructured interview guide. Convenience and snowball sampling techniques were used to identify participants. Transcripts were coded and analyzed with Atlas.ti software to identify common themes and subthemes. RESULTS Five focus group meetings and 1 individual interview were held from August to October 2022. Participants (n = 22) were mostly pharmacists (n = 18, 85%) with more than 15 years of experience (n = 18, 85%). Some participants indicated that DTx products for diabetes (n = 6, 29%), mental/behavioral health (n = 3, 14%), and substance abuse disorders (n = 3, 14%) were already covered by their organizations. The topics generating the most comments grouped by code were issues around the evidence for DTx (67 unique comments) and barriers for coverage (60 unique comments). Participants indicated they want to have evidence of effectiveness that is similar to traditional pharmaceutical products. Barriers for coverage included a need to revise benefit policies, exclusion of nonprescription products, and mechanisms for billing. DTx products with an indication for mental/behavioral health were viewed as most likely to be reimbursed. Coverage of DTx products may occur under either the pharmacy or medical benefit. CONCLUSIONS Health care payers stated that evidence of effectiveness was a necessary condition for health insurance coverage of DTx products. Given these are relatively new in health care, payers had more questions than answers regarding how these products will be integrated into health benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jason T. Hurwitz
- Center for Health Outcomes and PharmacoEconomic Research, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson
| | - Xi Liang
- College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
| | | | - Katie Phillip
- College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
| | - Sandipan Bhattacharjee
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., Princeton, NJ (Waters), at the time the study was conducted
| | - Heidi C. Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., Princeton, NJ (Waters), at the time the study was conducted
| | - Daniel C. Malone
- Department of Pharmacotherapy, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
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Coleman KJ, Rossom RC, Braciszewski JM, Padilla A, Li X, Waters HC, Penfold RB, Simon GE, Nau CL. Beyond clinical outcomes: Case control study of the role of race in disruptive life events for people with serious mental illness. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2023; 85:80-86. [PMID: 37844540 DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To understand how race and serious mental illness (SMI) interact for disruptive life events defined as financial (bankruptcy and judgement filings), and non-financial (arrests). METHODS Patients were adults with schizophrenia (SCZ; N = 16,159) or bipolar I disorder (BPI; N = 30,008) matched 1:1 to patients without SMI (non-SMI) from health systems in Michigan and Southern California during 1/1/2007 through 12/31/2018. The main exposure was self-reported race, and the outcome was disruptive life events aggregated by Transunion. We hypothesized that Black patients with SCZ or BPI would be the most likely to experience a disruptive life event when compared to Black patients without SMI, and all White or Asian patients regardless of mental illness. RESULTS Black patients with SCZ had the least likelihood (37% lower) and Asian patients with BPI had the greatest likelihood (2.25 times higher) of experiencing a financial disruptive life event among all patients in the study. There was no interaction of race with either SCZ or BPI for experiencing an arrest. The findings did not support our hypotheses for patients with SCZ and partially supported them for patients with BPI. CONCLUSIONS Clinical initiatives to assess social determinants of health should consider a focus on Asian patients with BPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen J Coleman
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA; Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | | | | | - Ariadna Padilla
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Xia Li
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Heidi C Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Robert B Penfold
- Health Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gregory E Simon
- Health Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Claudia L Nau
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
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DiBenedetti D, Kosa K, Waters HC, Oberdhan D. Understanding Patients' Experiences with Borderline Personality Disorder: Qualitative Interviews. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2023; 19:2115-2125. [PMID: 37840625 PMCID: PMC10575031 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s423882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Patient perspectives of living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are not traditionally captured in the literature. To overcome this gap, we explored participants' experiences with BPD to gain a better understanding of symptoms and impacts related to the condition. Methods Two experienced researchers conducted semistructured interviews with a subset of participants from a randomized controlled trial evaluating a BPD treatment. The interview study was independent from the trial. Interviews focused on participants' experiences with BPD prior to the trial, including the symptoms and impacts of BPD. Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify dominant trends and generate patterns in the way participants described their experiences with BPD. Results A total of 50 adults with BPD participated in the interview study. The mean age of the participants was 28.5 years (range, 18-53 years) and 72.0% were female. All participants described having difficulties with extreme emotional responses and interpersonal relationships, and most participants reported experiencing issues with self-image, impulsivity, suspiciousness/distrust, feelings of emptiness, and anger. The symptoms that were most bothersome to participants were extreme moods or emotional responses and a pattern of unstable personal relationships. All participants remarked that their BPD-related symptoms negatively impacted their interpersonal relationships, and nearly two-thirds of the sample reported that the impact of BPD on their relationships was the most bothersome. Additionally, more than half of the participants discussed impacts on work or school, memory or thinking, self-care, and financial and legal issues. Conclusion Participants reported that the most bothersome symptoms of BPD were those related to extreme moods or emotional responses and interpersonal relationships. Participants similarly described the impact of BPD on their interpersonal relationships as the most bothersome. Overall, participant perspectives from this study indicate that the burden of BPD is significant and new treatments tailored to patients' real-world needs are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana DiBenedetti
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Assessment, RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Katherine Kosa
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Assessment, RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Heidi C Waters
- Global Value & Real-World Evidence, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Dorothee Oberdhan
- Global Value & Real-World Evidence, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Rockville, MD, USA
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Nau CL, Braciszewski JM, Rossom RC, Penfold RB, Coleman KJ, Simon GE, Hong B, Padilla A, Butler RK, Chen A, Waters HC. Assessment of Disruptive Life Events for Individuals Diagnosed With Schizophrenia or Bipolar I Disorder Using Data From a Consumer Credit Reporting Agency. JAMA Psychiatry 2023:2804639. [PMID: 37163288 PMCID: PMC10173103 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.1179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Importance There is a dearth of population-level data on major disruptive life events (defined here as arrests by a legal authority, address changes, bankruptcy, lien, and judgment filings) for patients with bipolar I disorder (BPI) or schizophrenia, which has limited studies on mental health and treatment outcomes. Objective To conduct a population-level study on disruptive life events by using publicly available data on disruptive life events, aggregated by a consumer credit reporting agency in conjunction with electronic health record (EHR) data. Design, Setting, and Participants This study used EHR data from 2 large, integrated health care systems, Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Henry Ford Health. Cohorts of patients diagnosed from 2007 to 2019 with BPI or schizophrenia were matched 1:1 by age at analysis, age at diagnosis (if applicable), sex, race and ethnicity, and Medicaid status to (1) an active comparison group with diagnoses of major depressive disorder (MDD) and (2) a general health (GH) cohort without diagnoses of BPI, schizophrenia, or MDD. Patients with diagnoses of BPI or schizophrenia and their respective comparison cohorts were matched to public records data aggregated by a consumer credit reporting agency (98% match rate). Analysis took place between November 2020 and December 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures The differences in the occurrence of disruptive life events among patients with BPI or schizophrenia and their comparison groups. Results Of 46 167 patients, 30 008 (65%) had BPI (mean [SD] age, 42.6 [14.2] years) and 16 159 (35%) had schizophrenia (mean [SD], 41.4 [15.1] years). The majoriy of patients were White (30 167 [65%]). In addition, 18 500 patients with BPI (62%) and 6552 patients with schizophrenia (41%) were female. Patients with BPI were more likely to change addresses than patients in either comparison cohort (with the incidence ratio being as high as 1.25 [95% CI, 1.23-1.28]) when compared with GH cohort. Patients with BPI were also more likely to experience any of the financial disruptive life events with odds ratio ranging from 1.15 [95% CI, 1.07-1.24] to 1.50 [95% CI, 1.42-1.58]). The largest differences in disruptive life events were seen in arrests of patients with either BPI or schizophrenia compared with GH peers (3.27 [95% CI, 2.84-3.78] and 3.04 [95% CI, 2.57-3.59], respectively). Patients with schizophrenia had fewer address changes and were less likely to experience a financial event than their matched comparison cohorts. Conclusions and Relevance This study demonstrated that data aggregated by a consumer credit reporting agency can support population-level studies on disruptive life events among patients with BPI or schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia L Nau
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena
| | | | | | - Robert B Penfold
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
| | - Karen J Coleman
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena
| | - Gregory E Simon
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
| | - Benjamin Hong
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena
| | - Ariadna Padilla
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena
| | - Rebecca K Butler
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena
| | - Aiyu Chen
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena
| | - Heidi C Waters
- Global Value & Real World Evidence, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, New Jersey
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Wee SN, Liman C, Waters HC, Houle CR, Renteria M, Mukherjee SS, Surendran S, Marcovici J, Brubaker M, Rasmussen Meehan S, de Jong-Laird A, Rush AJ, Sarkar J. Life Engagement Improvement Following Initiation of Brexpiprazole Treatment in Patients with MDD: A Naturalistic, Retrospective Real-World Study. CEOR 2023; 15:195-208. [PMID: 36967983 PMCID: PMC10032340 DOI: 10.2147/ceor.s395255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Life engagement encompasses concepts such as life fulfillment, well-being, and participation in meaningful activities, encompassing cognitive, physical, social, and emotional dimensions. Patients with MDD experience impaired functioning across multiple domains of life engagement and have ranked concepts related to life engagement and fulfillment as important predictors of treatment success. Post-hoc analyses of three clinical trials of patients with MDD treated adjunctively with brexpiprazole have reported a significantly greater improvement in life engagement. This study investigated improvements in life engagement among patients with MDD following initiation of brexpiprazole treatment using a real-world dataset. Patients and Methods Information was extracted from semi-structured clinical notes of the Mental Status Examination (MSE) of patients in a real-world setting to develop an outcome measure for quantifying life engagement of psychiatric patients. Measures of life engagement and its four sub-domains (emotional, physical, social, and cognitive) were calculated at each clinical visit for 624 adult patients with MDD during the 6 months following brexpiprazole initiation. Paired t-tests assessed differences between the index event and time periods within 6 months of the index event. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were used to quantify the improvement in life engagement scores following brexpiprazole initiation. Results The study identified 54 clinical features associated with life engagement. Statistically significant improvements were observed from as early as 1 month following brexpiprazole initiation, with 20.6%, 37.9%, and 53.9% of the patients demonstrating improved life engagement scores within 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively. The improvements were particularly apparent for the emotional and social sub-domains. Conclusion The results of this study provide evidence of improved life engagement following brexpiprazole initiation in a real-world dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Heidi C Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Correspondence: Heidi C Waters, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, 508 Carnegie Center Drive, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA, Tel +1 609 535 9626, Email
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Malaak Brubaker
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Anne de Jong-Laird
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - A John Rush
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University, Odessa, TX, USA
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Waters HC, Touya M, Wee SN, Ng M, Thadani S, Surendran S, Rentería M, Rush AJ, Patel R, Sarkar J, Fitzgerald HM, Han X. Psychiatric healthcare resource utilization following initiation of aripiprazole once-monthly: a retrospective real-world study. Curr Med Res Opin 2023; 39:299-306. [PMID: 36380678 DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2022.2148461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This observational retrospective real-world study examined changes in healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) pre- and post-initiation of aripiprazole once-monthly (AOM 400) in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder. METHODS Electronic health record-derived, de-identified data from the NeuroBlu Database (2013-2020) were used to identify patients ≥18 years with schizophrenia (n = 222) or bipolar I disorder (n = 129) who were prescribed AOM 400, and had visit data within 3, 6, 9, or 12 months pre- and post-initial AOM 400 prescription. Rates of inpatient hospitalization, emergency department visits, inpatient readmissions, and average length of stay were examined and compared over 3, 6, 9, and 12 months pre-/post-AOM 400 using a McNemar test. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were seen in both schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder patient cohorts pre- and post-AOM 400 in inpatient hospitalization rates (p < .001 all time points, both cohorts) and 30-day readmission per patient rates (p < .001 all time points, both cohorts). Statistically significant improvement in mean length of stay was observed in both cohorts at all time points, except for at six months in patients with schizophrenia. Emergency department visit rates were significantly lower after AOM 400 initiation for both cohorts at all time points (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS A reduction in the rate of hospitalizations, emergency department visits, 30-day readmissions, and average length-of-stay was observed for patients diagnosed with either schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder, which suggests a positive effect of AOM 400 treatment on HCRU outcomes and is supportive of earlier analyses from different data sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - A John Rush
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Odessa, TX, USA
| | - Rashmi Patel
- Holmusk Technologies Inc, New York, NY, USA
- King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Xue Han
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
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Pérez K, Berrios M, Pyenson B, Waters HC. Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries using antipsychotic medications for FDA-approved indications before and after transitioning from the community to a nursing home. Curr Med Res Opin 2023; 39:589-595. [PMID: 36644806 DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2023.2168418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study examines the relationships between changes in antipsychotic medication (AP) use and acute clinical events (identified with administrative claims data) for patients with FDA-approved indications for APs following transition from the community (e.g. home) to a nursing home (NH) in a Medicare population. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted using 100% Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) research identifiable files (RIF) claims data (2016-2018). Medicare beneficiaries with a condition for which APs are approved by the FDA were examined using logistic regression models to determine whether changes in AP use following transition from community to NHs were correlated with the likelihood of experiencing acute clinical events. RESULTS We identified 38,448 Medicare FFS beneficiaries meeting our study criteria. A change in AP use after transition to a NH did not have a statistically significant association with acute skeletal events, coronary artery events, or cerebrovascular events (p = .55, p = .69, and p = .59, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Between 2016 and 2018, Medicare FFS patients with approved-use indications for APs had lower average AP use following transition to a NH. Changes in the use of other medications of interest largely followed a similar pattern, indicating that these medications did not tend to be used as substitutions for APs. No clear relationship exists between increases or decreases in AP use and adverse events among NH residents who used APs and had FDA-approved conditions in the community setting.
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Waters HC, Stellhorn R, Touya M, Fitzgerald H, Bhattacharjee S, Citrome L. The effects of early initiation of aripiprazole once-monthly on healthcare resource utilization and healthcare costs in individuals with schizophrenia: real-world evidence from US claims data. J Med Econ 2023; 26:316-325. [PMID: 36780296 DOI: 10.1080/13696998.2023.2178770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
AIM To evaluate the impact of timing of aripiprazole once-monthly (AOM) initiation on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), risk of hospitalization, and healthcare costs in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Merative MarketScan database (01/01/2013-12/31/2019). Adults aged ≥18 years with a new episode of care for schizophrenia and an AOM claim were included. Patients were classified into two cohorts based on the time between the first schizophrenia diagnosis and the first AOM claim (early cohort: ≤1 year; late cohort: >1 year). All-cause and psychiatric-specific HCRU, risk of hospitalization, and healthcare costs were evaluated over 1-year post-AOM initiation. The relationship between the timing of AOM initiation and HCRU was evaluated using negative binomial regression, and healthcare costs using generalized linear models (log-link with gamma distribution). Logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of hospitalization during the follow up period for both all-cause and psychiatric-specific hospitalization. RESULTS A total of 945 patients were included (early cohort: n = 525; late cohort: n = 420). At baseline, the early cohort had lower mean age, a greater proportion of males, and a lower mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score than the late cohort (all p < .05). After adjusting for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, all-cause and psychiatric-specific hospitalization during the 1-year follow-up period were statistically significantly higher for the late cohort versus the early cohort (all-cause: incident rate ratio [IRR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28-2.07, p < .01; psychiatric-specific: IRR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.46-2.55, p < .01). The early cohort had statistically significantly lower adjusted all-cause ($21,686 versus $29,033; p = .0002) and psychiatric-specific ($24,414 versus $32,461; p = .0002) healthcare costs versus the late cohort. LIMITATIONS This study utilized claims data, which are intended for administrative purposes rather than for research. CONCLUSIONS This analysis extends previous evidence for the benefits of AOM in patients with new episodes of schizophrenia, by demonstrating lower HCRU, risk of hospitalization, and healthcare costs with early AOM initiation compared with later initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Robert Stellhorn
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | | | | | - Leslie Citrome
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
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Tidmore LM, Keast SL, Waters HC, Pareja KL, Cothran T, Skrepnek GH. Readmissions, costs, and duration to subsequent outpatient visit after hospital discharge among Medicaid beneficiaries utilizing oral versus long-acting injectable antipsychotics in bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Curr Med Res Opin 2022; 38:1621-1630. [PMID: 35833696 DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2022.2101819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) may reduce hospitalizations versus oral formulations (OAP) in bipolar disorder (BP) and schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (SCZ), but the impact on time to outpatient follow-up is less understood. OBJECTIVES To assess hospital readmissions and medical costs among Medicaid beneficiaries with BP or SCZ utilizing OAP or LAI SGAs. METHODS Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses utilized comprehensive administrative claims of Oklahoma Medicaid beneficiaries (≥18 years) with BP or SCZ between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2017. Readmissions, total direct medical costs, and psychiatry-related outpatient visits were assessed via generalized linear models and generalized estimating equations, controlling for demographic and clinical covariates. RESULTS Among 2523 included members, LAI utilization was associated with 1.50 and 1.73 times higher odds of any hospitalization and any readmission, respectively (p < .05). Cases involving both BP and SCZ were associated with a 2.40 times higher odds of any readmission, 2.26 times higher number of readmissions, and 24.5% higher costs (p < .001). Of the 468 members with a subsequent psychiatry-related outpatient visit, LAIs were associated with a 23.9% shorter duration to outpatient visit and 16.4% lower costs (p < .05). CONCLUSION In contrast to prior studies, this real-world investigation noted higher hospitalizations and readmissions among LAIs relative to OAP medications, but among members with a hospitalization or ED visit, LAIs were associated with shorter durations to outpatient visits and lower costs. Those with diagnoses of both BP with SCZ had higher odds of any readmission, number of readmissions, and costs relative to those with bipolar disorder alone and may be a key target for interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Tidmore
- Department of Clinical and Administrative Sciences, University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Shellie L Keast
- Government Human Services Consulting, Mercer LLC, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Heidi C Waters
- Health Outcomes, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Kristin L Pareja
- Health Outcomes, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Terry Cothran
- Department of Pharmacy, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Grant H Skrepnek
- Department of Clinical and Administrative Sciences, University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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Branning G, Waters HC, Houle CR, Worthy SL, Fink B, Hayes K. Mental Illness Disclosure in the Workplace: An Opportunity for Improvement. Am Health Drug Benefits 2021; 14:147-153. [PMID: 35261719 PMCID: PMC8844635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination based on physical or mental disabilities and requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to workers with disabilities who can perform their essential job functions. However, the ADA also states that an employer is not required to hire or keep an individual with a psychiatric disability if it poses a direct threat to his or her safety or the safety of others. OBJECTIVES To identify employers' disclosure requirements for mental illness diagnosis or treatment during the job application process and/or as a condition of ongoing employment, to determine disclosure requirements of state and federal licensing bodies, and to evaluate the legality of disclosure of mental health status. METHODS We conducted an Internet-based search to identify public and private employers' disclosure requirements based on 4 keyword combinations, including "employment/mental health," "employment/mental illness," "license application/mental illness," and "license application/mental health." Other employers were included based on known federal and/or state certification requirements or a governing body policy for employee suitability and fitness. A panel of 3 investigators reviewed the data and analyzed the key findings, industry trends, and workplace implications. RESULTS Of the 23 industries (eg, construction, government, military, transportation) investigated, 5 were public and 18 were private. Public employees and government-regulated companies often required disclosure of mental health conditions because of the nature of the work. Private companies showed more variability than public in whether applications contained disclosure requirements, some of which were not compliant with the ADA regulations. CONCLUSION Across the United States, job applicants and workers are often asked to disclose mental health status as a condition of employment. Consequently, applicants and workers may hide mental health issues, resulting in the underuse of mental health resources by those in need.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heidi C Waters
- Senior Director, Policy Research, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Princeton, NJ
| | - Christy R Houle
- Director, Value and Real World Evidence, Lundbeck, Deerfield, IL
| | - Stacey L Worthy
- Principal Attorney, Sequel Health Law, Washington, DC, and Counsel, Aimed Alliance, Washington, DC
| | - Betsy Fink
- Vice President, Operations, Market and Customer Insights, Managed Market Resources
| | - Katie Hayes
- Senior Manager, Market and Customer Insights, Managed Market Resources
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Yan T, Greene M, Chang E, Houle CR, Waters HC, Tarbox MH, Broder MS. Health Care Cost in Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With Brexpiprazole Versus Other Oral Atypical Antipsychotic Therapy. Clin Ther 2020; 42:77-93. [PMID: 31928831 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2019.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Brexpiprazole is an oral atypical antipsychotic (OAA) for the treatment of schizophrenia (SCZ). This study compared all-cause and psychiatric inpatient hospitalization and medical costs in adult patients with SCZ newly treated with brexpiprazole versus other US Food and Drug Administration-approved OAAs in a real-world setting. METHODS This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from: (1) the IBM MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases, and the MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid database; and (2) the de-identified Optum Clinformatics Datamart. Adult patients were identified if they had SCZ and initiated either brexpiprazole or another OAA during the study identification period (July 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016, for MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental and for Optum; July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, for MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid) and had ≥12 months of continuous enrollment before (baseline) and after (follow-up) the first treatment date. Linear regression analyses were performed to test associations between treatment groups (brexpiprazole vs another OAA) and costs (total and medical); negative binomial regression models were used to estimate number of hospitalizations per year, adjusting for baseline characteristics and medication adherence to index treatment during the 12-month follow-up. FINDINGS The final study sample consisted of 6254 patients with SCZ: 176 initiated brexpiprazole; 391, ziprasidone; 453, paliperidone; 523, lurasidone; 786, aripiprazole; 1234, quetiapine; 1264, olanzapine; and 1427, risperidone. Controlling for baseline characteristics and medication adherence, the adjusted number of hospitalizations (both all-cause and psychiatric), all-cause total costs, and all-cause medical costs did not differ across groups. Brexpiprazole users had the lowest mean psychiatric costs among all OAA users ($12,013; 95% bootstrap CI, 7488-16,538). Compared with brexpiprazole users, paliperidone (incidence rate ratio [95% CI], 1.52 [1.05-2.19]; P = 0.027) and quetiapine (incidence rate ratio [95% CI], 1.47 [1.04-2.07]; P = 0.029) users had more psychiatric hospitalizations per year. Paliperidone had higher psychiatric costs than brexpiprazole (total, $32,066 [95% bootstrap CI, 28,779-35,353] vs $23,851 [18,907-28,795]; medical, $19,343 [16,294-22,392] vs $12,013 [7488-16,538]). Psychiatric medical costs were also $6744 higher in olanzapine users (95% bootstrap CI, 1694-11,795; P = 0.009) than in brexpiprazole users. IMPLICATIONS Patients with SCZ treated with brexpiprazole had fewer psychiatric hospitalizations and lower psychiatric costs than those treated with paliperidone. Differences in the number of all-cause hospitalizations and medical costs among treatments were not statistically significant. Although treatment decisions are driven by a number of factors (eg, clinical circumstances and drug costs), choice of OAA may affect health care costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingjian Yan
- Partnership for Health Analytic Research, Beverly Hills, CA, USA.
| | - Mallik Greene
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Eunice Chang
- Partnership for Health Analytic Research, Beverly Hills, CA, USA
| | | | - Heidi C Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Marian H Tarbox
- Partnership for Health Analytic Research, Beverly Hills, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Broder
- Partnership for Health Analytic Research, Beverly Hills, CA, USA
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Waters HC, Ruetsch C, Tkacz J. A claims-based algorithm to reduce relapse and cost in schizophrenia. Am J Manag Care 2019; 25:e373-e378. [PMID: 31860231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To refine a payer algorithm identifying patients with schizophrenia at high risk of relapse within a managed Medicaid population and evaluate its effectiveness in a case management (CM) program. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional and longitudinal study design. METHODS The algorithm used a single payer's Medicaid medical and pharmacy claims (August 1, 2009, to July 31, 2014) for patients with schizophrenia (N = 12,353) to predict those at high risk for hospitalization. The final algorithm was used in a CM program (outbound communication to providers) at 3 payer service centers in 3 states. Based on the algorithm, 60 patients (20 from each site) with the highest risk scores were targeted for CM (CM group) and 60 (those patients ranked 21st-40th most at-risk at each site) comprised the control group. Chi-square tests compared groups on frequency measures (hospitalizations, emergency department [ED] visits). Pre- to postimplementation differences were tested using McNemar's test. A pre-post analysis of variance assessed mean numbers of inpatient admissions, inpatient days, and ED visits for both groups. RESULTS The algorithm had good positive predictive power (64.0%), negative predictive power (94.7%), sensitivity (40.2%), and specificity (97.9%). Following CM, the proportion of patients with at least 1 inpatient admission in the CM group decreased (23.3% to 13.3%), as did the rate of ED visits per month (by approximately 15%), whereas increases were observed in the control group. CONCLUSIONS Although not all of these differences were statistically significant, they suggest that the algorithm may be an effective case-finding tool for plans attempting to mitigate hospitalizations among high-risk patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc, 508 Carnegie Center Dr, Princeton, NJ 08540.
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Waters HC, Furukawa MF, Jorissen SL. Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Care on Service Utilization in Serious Mental Illness. Community Ment Health J 2018; 54:1101-1108. [PMID: 29948631 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-018-0297-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Serious mental illness (SMI) affects 5% of the United States population and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and use of high-cost healthcare services including hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Integrating behavioral and physical healthcare may improve care for consumers with SMI, but prior research findings have been mixed. This quantitative retrospective cohort study assessed whether there was a predictive relationship between integrated healthcare clinic enrollment and inpatient and emergency department utilization for consumers with SMI when controlling for demographic characteristics and disease severity. While findings indicated no statistically significant impact of integrated care clinic enrollment on utilization, the sample had lower levels of utilization than would have been expected. Since policy and payment structures continue to support integrated care models, further research on different programs are encouraged, as each setting and practice pattern is unique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Waters
- College of Health Sciences, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- , 1375 Bayport Ave, Marco Island, FL, 34145, USA.
| | | | - Shari L Jorissen
- College of Health Sciences, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Abstract
Objective Schizophrenia (Sz) patients are among the highest utilizers of hospital-based services. Prevention of relapse is in part a treatment goal in order to reduce hospital admissions. However, predicting relapse is a challenge, particularly for payers and disease management firms with only access to claims data. Understandably, such organizations have had little success predicting relapse. A tool that allows payers to identify patients at elevated risk of relapse could facilitate targeted interventions prior to relapse and avoid rehospitalization. In this study, a series of proxy measures of patient instability, calculated from claims data were examined for their utility in identifying Sz patients at elevated risk of relapse. Methods Aetna claims were used to assess the relationship between instability of Sz patients and valence and magnitude of antipsychotic (AP) medication change during a 2-year period. Six proxies of instability including hospital admissions, emergency department visits, medication utilization patterns, and use of outpatient services were identified. Results were replicated using claims data from Truven MarketScan®. Results Patients who switched AP ingredient had the highest overall instability at the point of switch and the second steepest decline in instability following switch. Those who changed to a long-acting injectable AP showed the second highest level of instability and the steepest decrease in instability following the change. Patients augmented with a second AP showed the smallest increase in instability, up to the switch. Results were directionally consistent between the two data sets. Conclusion Using claims-based proxy measures to estimate instability may provide a viable method to better understand Sz patient markers of change in disease severity. Also, such proxies could be used to identify those individuals with the greatest need for treatment modification preventing relapse, improving patient outcomes, and reducing the burden of illness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Heidi C Waters
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA
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Velligan D, Carpenter W, Waters HC, Gerlanc NM, Legacy SN, Ruetsch C. Relapse Risk Assessment for Schizophrenia Patients (RASP): A New Self-Report Screening Tool. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 11:224-235. [DOI: 10.3371/csrp.dvwc.111717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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David G, Gunnarsson CL, Waters HC, Horblyuk R, Kaplan HS. Economic measurement of medical errors using a hospital claims database. Value Health 2013; 16:305-310. [PMID: 23538182 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2012.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2012] [Revised: 11/19/2012] [Accepted: 11/24/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study was to estimate the occurrence and costs of medical errors from the hospital perspective. METHODS Methods from a recent actuarial study of medical errors were used to identify medical injuries. A visit qualified as an injury visit if at least 1 of 97 injury groupings occurred at that visit, and the percentage of injuries caused by medical error was estimated. Visits with more than four injuries were removed from the population to avoid overestimation of cost. Population estimates were extrapolated from the Premier hospital database to all US acute care hospitals. RESULTS There were an estimated 161,655 medical errors in 2008 and 170,201 medical errors in 2009. Extrapolated to the entire US population, there were more than 4 million unique injury visits containing more than 1 million unique medical errors each year. This analysis estimated that the total annual cost of measurable medical errors in the United States was $985 million in 2008 and just over $1 billion in 2009. The median cost per error to hospitals was $892 for 2008 and rose to $939 in 2009. Nearly one third of all medical injuries were due to error in each year. CONCLUSIONS Medical errors directly impact patient outcomes and hospitals' profitability, especially since 2008 when Medicare stopped reimbursing hospitals for care related to certain preventable medical errors. Hospitals must rigorously analyze causes of medical errors and implement comprehensive preventative programs to reduce their occurrence as the financial burden of medical errors shifts to hospitals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy David
- Health Care Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Abstract
Laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy demonstrated fewer preoperative complications and lower postoperative costs compared to laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy in this report. Objectives: To compare the incidence of perioperative complications and postoperative healthcare utilization and costs in laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) versus laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) patients. Methods: Women ≥18 years with LSH or LAVH were extracted using a large national commercial claims database from 1/1/2007 through 9/30/2008. Outcome was perioperative complications and gynecologic-related postoperative resource use and costs. Multivariate analysis was performed to compare postsurgical outcomes between the cohorts. Results: The final sample consisted of 6,198 LSH patients and 14,181 LAVH patients. LSH patients were significantly more likely to have dysfunctional uterine bleeding and leiomyomas and less likely to have endometriosis and prolapse as the primary diagnosis, and also significantly more likely to have a uterus that weighed >250 grams than LAVH patients. Compared with LAVH patients, LSH patients had significantly lower overall infection rates (7.4% versus 6.2%, P=.002) and lower total gynecologic-related postoperative costs ($252 versus $385, P<.001, within 30 days of follow-up and $350 versus $569, P<.001, within 180 days of follow-up). Significant cost differences remained following multivariate adjustment for patient characteristics. Conclusions: LSH patients demonstrated fewer perioperative complications and lower GYN-related postoperative costs compared to LAVH patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Song
- Thomson Reuters, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hector O. Chapa
- Women's Specialty Center and Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Methodists Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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Waters HC, Vanderpoel JE, Nejadnik B, McKenzie RS, Lunacsek OE, Lennert BJ, Goff J, Augustyn DH. Resource utilization before and during infliximab therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. J Med Econ 2012; 15:45-52. [PMID: 22023068 DOI: 10.3111/13696998.2011.625746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although Remicade (infliximab) is costly relative to non-biologic therapy, its impact on healthcare resource utilization and mucosal healing may make it a cost-effective option. This study aimed to compare gastrointestinal (GI)-related healthcare resource utilization and severity of mucosal damage before and during infliximab therapy in Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. METHODS A retrospective chart review was conducted at 14 gastroenterology practices from across the country, which varied in practice sizes and types. Patients were aged ≥18 years, diagnosed with CD or UC, and had an infliximab index date between January 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007. GI-related utilization 12 months before and 12 months after the index date was compared. Endoscopic disease severity was categorized based on blinded review of abstracted reports. RESULTS Results from 268 patients indicated significantly lower rates of surgery (29.7% to 9.9%, p < 0.0001, CD; 24.4% to 12.8%, p = 0.042, UC) and colonoscopy (54.4% to 17.6%, p < 0.0001, CD; 50.0% to 22.1%, p = 0.0007, UC) during infliximab therapy. The rates of hospitalizations in UC (15.1% to 3.5%, p = 0.0124) and radiology assessments in CD (23.1% to 10.4%, p = 0.006) also decreased. Based on severity data from 183 procedures, greater proportions of patients had normal or mild ratings during infliximab treatment compared with pre-treatment. LIMITATIONS This retrospective descriptive study is limited by the type and quantity of information available in patient charts from 14 gastroenterology clinics during the first year of infliximab treatment. In addition, the number of patients with pre-treatment and post-treatment disease severity information was too small to make comparisons among disease severity groups. Further information about the severity of disease and the extent of mucosal healing could be helpful in determining the effect of therapy on resource utilization in future research. CONCLUSIONS GI-related resource utilization was significantly lower and attenuation of mucosal damage severity was observed during infliximab treatment compared with the pre-treatment period.
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Carter CT, Waters HC, Smith DB. Effect of a continuous measure of adherence with infliximab maintenance treatment on inpatient outcomes in Crohn's disease. Patient Prefer Adherence 2012; 6:417-26. [PMID: 22723726 PMCID: PMC3379864 DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s31115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To assess the impact of a continuous measure of adherence with infliximab maintenance treatment in Crohn's disease (CD) during the first year of treatment on CD-related health care utilization, CD-related hospitalizations, inpatient costs, and length of hospital stay. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective claims analysis using the IMS LifeLink Health Plan Claims Database (September 1, 2004, to June 30, 2009) was conducted. Continuous enrollment for 12 months before and 12 months after the index date was required. Patients were required to have at least two claims with an International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code for CD (555.xx) pre-index and be aged ≥ 18 years at index. Patients with three infusions during the first 56 days post-index and at least one infusion following day 56 post-index were considered to have maintenance therapy. Adherence and nonadherence were defined as a medication possession ratio of ≥ 80% and < 80%, respectively. RESULTS Four hundred forty-eight patients were included in the analysis (mean age, 42.6 years; 56% female; mean ± standard deviation [SD] and median number of infliximab infusions, 7.35 ± 1.60 and 8). The number of patients who met the definition of adherence was 344 (77%). CD-related health care utilization was not significantly impacted by adherence except for ancillary services and radiology. Fewer adherent patients were hospitalized compared with nonadherent patients (9% versus 16%; P = 0.03). Adherent patients had fewer mean ± SD and median days in the hospital (5.5 ± 3.4 and 5 days) compared with nonadherent patients (13.1 ± 14.2 and 8 days; P = 0.01). Mean ± SD and median hospital costs were significantly greater for nonadherent patients ($40,822 ± $49,238 and $28,864) compared with adherent patients ($13,704 ± $10,816 and $9938; P = 0.002). CONCLUSION Adherence with maintenance infliximab over 12 months was associated with lower rates of CD-related hospitalizations and inpatient costs and a shorter length of hospital stay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chureen T Carter
- Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Horsham, PA, USA
- Correspondence: Chureen T Carter, Health Economics and Outcomes, Research, Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, 850 Ridgeview Drive, Horsham, PA 19044, USA, Tel +1 302 376 4387; +1 888 626 5696 ext 9543, Fax +1 302 376 1689, Email
| | - Heidi C Waters
- Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Horsham, PA, USA
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Carter CT, Waters HC, Smith DB. Impact of infliximab adherence on Crohn's disease-related healthcare utilization and inpatient costs. Adv Ther 2011; 28:671-83. [PMID: 21818671 DOI: 10.1007/s12325-011-0048-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Few published reports have described the impact of adherence with biologic agents on hospitalizations and inpatient costs in Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS A retrospective claims analysis using the IMS LifeLink Health Plan Claims Database between September 1, 2004 and June 30, 2009 was conducted. Continuous enrollment for 12 months before and 12 months after the index date was required. Patients were required to have ≥2 claims with an International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification diagnosis code for CD (555.xx) preindex, be ≥18 years of age at index, and have ≥4 infliximab infusions with a gap no greater than 12 weeks between each infusion. Patients with 7-9 infliximab infusions (12 months postindex) were considered adherent; patients with 4-6 infliximab infusions were considered nonadherent. RESULTS In total, 638 patients were included in the analyses (mean age, 43 years; 58% female in the adherent group and 53% in the nonadherent group). The number of patients who met the definition of adherence was 466 (73%). A smaller proportion of adherent patients had a CD-related emergency room visit, compared with nonadherent patients (11% vs. 17%, P=0.029). A smaller proportion of adherent patients required CD-related hospitalization, compared with nonadherent patients (8% vs. 12%, P=0.117). Among those hospitalized, adherent patients had fewer mean [median] days in the hospital (5.9 [5] days), compared with nonadherent patients (12.8 [8] days, P=0.015). Mean [median] hospital costs were significantly lower for adherent patients ($13,427 [$9,352]), compared with nonadherent patients ($37,783 [$28,864], P=0.001). Multivariate analyses confirmed lower inpatient (P<0.001) costs for adherent versus nonadherent patients. CONCLUSION Adherence with infliximab therapy during the first year of treatment in patients with CD was associated with a shorter hospital length of stay and lower inpatient costs compared with nonadherent patients. Strategies for increasing adherence rates to infliximab maintenance therapy may be valuable in reducing hospitalizations and inpatient costs in patients with CD.
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Carter CT, Leher H, Smith P, Smith DB, Waters HC. Impact of persistence with infliximab on hospitalizations in ulcerative colitis. Am J Manag Care 2011; 17:385-392. [PMID: 21756009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To assess infliximab infusion patterns in ulcerative colitis (UC) and assess the impact of persistence with infliximab maintenance therapy on UC-related hospitalizations, lengths of stay, and inpatient costs. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective analysis of medical claims for UC patients newly initiating infliximab treatment. METHODS Patients were aged >18 years and had 2 UC diagnosis codes, an infliximab index date between September 1, 2005, and January 31, 2008, and continuous enrollment for >12 months before and >14 months after the index date. Infliximab induction (first 56 days postindex) and maintenance (>56 days and <12 months postinduction) patterns were evaluated. Of patients with maintenance treatment, persistence was defined as a medication possession ratio (MPR) of >80%, and this group was compared with those without persistence (<80% MPR). RESULTS Overall, 420 patients were included in the analysis; 84.3% (n = 354) continued to maintenance therapy. Maintenance infusion patterns were consistent with recommended prescribing information. A smaller proportion of patients with maintenance therapy persistence required hospitalization compared with patients without persistence (3.0% vs 20.4%; P <.001). Hospitalized patients with maintenance therapy persistence had significantly lower mean inpatient costs ($14,243 vs $32,745; P = .046), with a trend toward shorter mean lengths of stay (6.67 vs 9.71 days; P = .147) than patients without persistence. CONCLUSIONS Infliximab maintenance therapy persistence in UC was associated with significantly fewer hospitalizations. Once hospitalized, patients with therapeutic persistence had significantly decreased inpatient costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chureen T Carter
- Centocor Ortho Biotech Services, LLC, 800 Ridgeview Dr., Horsham, PA 19044, USA.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Crohn's disease is a chronic condition that often presents in early adulthood. AIM To evaluate health care costs and costs per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) for Crohn's disease. METHODS A Markov model was developed using administrative claims data for patients aged > or = 18 years with > or = 3 years of continuous enrolment from 2000 to 2008 and > or =2 Crohn's disease claims. Disease states (remission, mild-moderate, moderate-severe, and severe-fulminant) were defined using the American College of Gastroenterology treatment guidelines criteria. Transition probabilities were calculated from consecutive 6-month periods. Costs were determined from paid claims and QALY utilities were obtained from the literature. The model assumed a 30-year-old patient at the time of entry into the model. RESULTS There were 40 063 patients identified, with a total of 420 773 cycles [remission (197 111; 46.8%), mild-moderate (44 024; 10.5%), moderate-severe (132 695; 31.5%), severe-fulminant (46 925; 11.2%)]. The costs/QALY for remission, mild-moderate, moderate-severe, and severe-fulminant disease states respectively were $2896, $8428, $11 518 and $69 277 for males and $2896, $8426, $22 633 and $69 412 for females. CONCLUSIONS Overall, health care costs for patients with Crohn's disease increased with disease severity. Although the probabilities of transitioning from other health states to the severe-fulminant disease state were low, the cost/QALY was high.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Malone
- University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, Tucson, 85721-0202, USA.
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Lichtenstein GR, Waters HC, Kelly J, McDonald SS, Zanutto EL, Hendricks D, Rahman MI. Assessing Drug Treatment Preferences of Patients with Crohnʼs Disease. The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research 2010. [DOI: 10.2165/11314880-000000000-00000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Waters HC, Hilliard RP, Teng E, Rahman MI, Ferrer R, Pulicharam J, Nejadnik B. An exploratory analysis of healthcare costs and utilization of pediatric patients with Crohn's disease. Dig Dis Sci 2009; 54:2650-4. [PMID: 19130225 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-008-0670-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2008] [Accepted: 12/08/2008] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the healthcare costs and resource utilization associated with pediatric Crohn's disease (PCD) from a payer perspective. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted using claims from 1 January 2003 through 31 December 2006 from the HealthCare Partners database. Patients were younger than 18 years of age, had a new diagnosis of PCD, and continuous health plan eligibility 6 months before and 12 months after the disease index date (the date of the first claim with a PCD diagnosis). For comparison, a non-PCD cohort was matched on age, sex, and birthday (within 30 days). RESULTS Data from 30 patients with PCD and 10,864 non-PCD controls were included. The total cost per member per month (PMPM) for the PCD cohort was $2,547 compared with $101 for the non-PCD cohort. Inpatient admissions accounted for the largest portion (54%) of the total cost PMPM for PCD patients. There were 500 admissions per thousand members per year (PTMPY) for the PCD cohort and 11 admissions PTMPY for the non-PCD cohort. The average lengths of stay were 7.6 and 4.4 days for the PCD cohort and the non-PCD cohort, respectively, and the inpatient costs PMPM were $1,409 and $18, respectively. Costs and resource utilization were also higher for PCD patients treated with systemic therapies. CONCLUSION PCD was associated with higher costs and resource utilization, compared with non-PCD controls, primarily driven by inpatient stays. Treating PCD appropriately before the disease progresses to a level requiring hospitalization may help reduce the costs associated with this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Waters
- Centocor Ortho Biotech Services, LLC, 800 Ridgeview Drive, Horsham, PA 19044, USA.
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Cohen RD, Waters HC, Tang B, Rahman MI. Effects of fistula on healthcare costs and utilization for patients with Crohn's disease treated in a managed care environment. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2008; 14:1707-14. [PMID: 18618630 DOI: 10.1002/ibd.20530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fistulas are a common complication of Crohn's disease (CD) and are difficult to treat effectively. This study aimed to assess the effects of fistula on annual costs of healthcare and resource utilization for patients with CD. METHODS A retrospective analysis, using the PharMetrics database, of patients with a diagnosis of CD from January 1, 2000 through June 30, 2005 was conducted. Using paid claim amounts, healthcare costs and resource utilization were compared for patients with and without fistula in the year following diagnosis. Further analysis compared costs for adult, pediatric, and older adult patients with and without fistula. RESULTS This analysis included 13,454 patients with CD, of whom 12,683 (94.3%) had no diagnosis of fistula. The total median (range) cost per patient was higher for the fistula cohort ($10,863 [$0-$1,307,019]) than the nonfistula cohort ($6268 [$0-$1,181,485]), driven mainly by higher hospital and surgery costs. Median healthcare costs and resource utilization rates were generally higher for patients with fistula compared with those without fistula in all 3 age groups, with some of the largest differences observed in the pediatric cohort. CONCLUSIONS Fistulas are often a difficult and costly complication of CD. This study determined that patients with fistulizing CD have higher healthcare costs and resource consumption than patients without fistula. Use of therapies that heal fistulas may help deter some of the high costs and intensive resource utilization found in this study. Economic analyses need to account for these issues when assessing the cost-effectiveness of therapies targeting fistulizing disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell D Cohen
- University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60657, USA.
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Tang B, Rahman M, Waters HC, Callegari P. Treatment persistence with adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab in combination with methotrexate and the effects on health care costs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Ther 2008; 30:1375-84. [PMID: 18691998 DOI: 10.1016/s0149-2918(08)80063-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biologic agents are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Information on patient persistence with biologic anti-TNF therapies is limited, and the effects of persistence on the costs of therapy are unknown. OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to compare treatment persistence with adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab in combination withmethotrexate (MTX) and evaluate the effects of persistence on overall health care costs. METHODS This retrospective study used data from the PharMetrics managed care administrative claims database. Data from patients with RA who received combination treatment with an anti-TNF agent plus MTX and had > or = 24 months of continuous plan eligibility were collected. The 3 anti-TNF cohorts were adalimumab + MTX (adalimumab group), etanercept + MTX (etanercept group), and infliximab + MTX (infliximab group). Treatment persistence was defined as the number of days between the first and last anti-TNF treatment and was reported as a percentage of the 1-year period after treatment initiation. Costs were compared between patients with treatment persistence rates > or = 80% or <80%. Demographics, comorbidities, disease severity, and RA-related costs were assessed using descriptive statistics. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify differences in mean persistence between the 3 cohorts. RESULTS Data from 1242 patients were included (77.7% female; mean age, 50.0 years). The mean persistence rate in the overall population was 74.6%, and the mean treatment time was 272.3 days. The infliximab group had a higher persistence rate compared with the etanercept and adalimumab groups (78.0% vs 72.8% and 70.8%, respectively; P < 0.005). In all patients combined, those with treatment persistence > or = 80% had higher mean total health care costs compared with those with treatment persistence <80% ($19,271.52 vs $15,598.46; P < 0.001), largely due to higher pharmacy costs. However, nonpharmacy costs were lower in the > or = 80% persistence cohort ($3091 vs $4601; P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS In this population of patients with RA, overall treatment persistence was high, with patients treated with infliximab + MTX having significantly higher persistence compared with those treated with adalimumab + MTX or etanercept + MTX. While pharmacy costs were higher in patients with > or = 80% persistence, nonpharmacy costs were lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boxiong Tang
- Medical Affairs, Centocor Ortho Biotech Services, LLC, Horsham, Pennsylvania 19044, USA.
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Bickston SJ, Waters HC, Dabbous O, Tang BI, Rahman M. Administrative claims analysis of all-cause annual costs of care and resource utilization by age category for ulcerative colitis patients. J Manag Care Pharm 2008; 14:352-62. [PMID: 18500913 PMCID: PMC10437741 DOI: 10.18553/jmcp.2008.14.4.352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease with peak incidence in the third decade of life and a second peak in the sixth or seventh decade. While drug therapy can be used to control the inflammation and reduce symptoms, patients with UC may be treated surgically. There is little information in the published literature evaluating the all-cause health care costs of patients with UC according to age. OBJECTIVE To assess from administrative claims the direct all-cause (not disease-related) costs of care and resource utilization for patients with UC compared with members without UC by 3 age categories. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted using the PharMetrics database of patients with a diagnosis of UC (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 556.x) from January 1, 2000, through June 30, 2005. This database contains enrollment data and pharmacy and medical claims from more than 85 different managed care organizations and more than 55 million patients in the United States. Patients had to be continuously enrolled for 6 months before and 12 months after the initial UC diagnosis and have at least 2 distinct claims with a diagnosis code for UC. The mean per-patient health care resource utilization and costs were calculated for patients in the year following their initial UC diagnosis and compared with the same measures for a group of age- and gender-matched members (without UC claims) at a ratio of 4:1. Three age groups were analyzed: pediatric-adolescent (aged < 18 years), adults (aged 18 to 64 years), and older adults (aged e 65 years). Differences in the measures of all-cause health care resource utilization (claims and costs) between the UC and non-UC groups were tested for statistical significance using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, a non-parametric alternative to the paired t test. Differences between the 3 age cohorts were tested using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS Data were collected for 15,105 patients with UC and for 59,159 members in the comparator cohort without UC matched by age and gender. The average age for both cohorts was 44 years, and 54% were female. Mean ([SD], median) annual all-cause total health care costs in 2005 dollars for patients with UC were $13,233 ([$40,715], $5,190) versus $3,214 ([$12,741], $753) for the comparator group (P < 0.001). For all UC patients, all-cause inpatient hospitalization costs constituted the largest component ($5,771, 43.6%) of the mean annual total costs, followed by prescription medications ($2,423, 18.3%); miscellaneous services, such as hospice, psychiatric facility, and nursing home care ($2,092, 15.8%); outpatient hospital visits ($1,310, 9.9%); physician office visits ($899, 6.8%); laboratory procedures ($470, 3.6%); and emergency department visits ($268, 2.0%). Resource utilization (e.g., physician visits, laboratory claims, pharmacy claims) was highest for older adults aged e 65 years, followed by pediatricadolescent patients and adults aged 18 to 64 years (all comparisons P < 0.01). The mean ([SD], median) all-cause total health care costs were highest for pediatric-adolescent patients with UC (n = 589, 3.9%) at $23,113 ([$70,999], $6,214), followed by older adults (n = 650, 4.3%) at $15,811 ([$23,882], $6,886, P < 0.001), while adults aged 18 to 64 years (n = 13,866, 91.8%) incurred the lowest cost at $12,693 ([$39,505], $5,108, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Patients with UC identified from medical claims incurred significantly higher all-cause health care costs for all 3 age categories than did the comparator group of health plan members without diagnosis for UC.
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Lee MJ, Waters HC. Inhibition of monocyte esterase activity by organophosphate insecticides. Blood 1977; 50:947-51. [PMID: 907842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Organophosphate insecticides, such as Vapona, Naled, and Rabon, are highly potent inhibitors of an enzyme found in human monocytes. The enzyme, a specific monocyte esterase, could be inhibited by Vapona in blood samples via airborne contamination at levels easily achieved from commercial slow-release insecticide strips. Fifty percent inhibition (I50)--as measured on the Hemalog D (Technicon Corp.)--occurred at solution concentrations of 0.22, 1.5, and 2.6 X 10(-6) g/liter for Vapona, Rabon, and Naled, respectively. Parathion (a thiophosphate) and Baygon (a carbamate) were less potent, with I50 values of 3.7 X 10(-5) and 1.5 X 10(-4) g/liter, respectively. Dursban (another thiophosphate) and Carbaryl (a carbamate) showed only marginal inhibition. Eserine, malathion, nicotine and pyrethrum had no inhibitory effect up to 0.5 g/liter. The occurrence of this effect in vivo has not yet been shown, nor is it clear what the implications of such an effect would be. The inhibition of this enzyme by airborne contaminants, however, may interfere with the proper functioning of the Hemalog D.
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Kaufman GI, Remington JS, Waters HC. Automation of the indirect fluorescent-antibody test for toxoplasmosis. Appl Microbiol 1973; 25:724-30. [PMID: 4577174 PMCID: PMC380902 DOI: 10.1128/am.25.5.724-730.1973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The feasibility of automating the decision-making tasks of the medical technician in the determination of the results of the indirect fluorescent-antibody test for toxoplasmosis was investigated. Two approaches were studied: (i) macroscopic measurement of fluorescence from a large number of organisms (full-field illumination measurements), and (ii) microscopic measurements of fluorescence and morphology of individual parasites (pattern recognition). The macroscopic approach was studied utilizing an argon-ion laser in incident illumination with a Leitz Ortholux microscope and a phototube mounted so as to measure green fluorescence. Due to similar amounts of fluorescence from negative polar reactions and positive rim reactions, the macroscopic technique was concluded to be not feasible. The microscopic approach was studied utilizing a high resolution optical pattern recognition instrument. The results indicate that an object area measurement is sufficient to distinguish the presence of Toxoplasma gondii organisms from debris and overlapping organisms when studying the red fluorescence (due to Evans blue counterstain). Dark reactions were determined by the absence of green fluorescence. The differentiation of the rim and polar reactions was determined by the measurement of the ratio of green fluorescing area (due to fluorescein isothiocyanate) to red fluorescing area on the same organism. Clinically important titer information was also demonstrated to be obtainable. It was concluded that complete automation of the indirect fluorescent antibody test for toxoplasmosis is feasible with existing technology.
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