Outcomes Research in the Treatment of Asthma

Author(s):  
Ram C. Neupane ◽  
Jason Turner

Asthma is a common chronic disease in the United States, with increasing prevalence. Many patients do not realize therapeutic goals because of poor disease management. The purpose of this study is to examine the costs of the commonly used drugs used to treat asthma. We examined the contribution of individual, government and private agencies for medication payment. We next compared the prescription cost to the cost of emergency room visits. The data are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. SAS Enterprise Guide was used for preprocessing and data visualization. It was found that prednisone is the cheapest drug and the drug, albuterol, is the most common, even if it is more expensive. The contribution of the government is higher than the amount paid by individuals and other agencies. We examined data from the National Inpatient Sample to investigate trends in asthma as well.

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
John F Cogan ◽  
R. Glenn Hubbard ◽  
Daniel Kessler

In this paper, we use publicly available data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component (MEPS-IC) to investigate the effect of Massachusetts' health reform plan on employer-sponsored insurance premiums. We tabulate premium growth for private-sector employers in Massachusetts and the United States as a whole for 2004 - 2008. We estimate the effect of the plan as the difference in premium growth between Massachusetts and the United States between 2006 and 2008—that is, before versus after the plan—over and above the difference in premium growth for 2004 to 2006. We find that health reform in Massachusetts increased single-coverage employer-sponsored insurance premiums by about 6 percent, or $262. Although our research design has important limitations, it does suggest that policy makers should be concerned about the consequences of health reform for the cost of private insurance.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Pierre ◽  
Roland J. Thorpe ◽  
Gniesha Y. Dinwiddie ◽  
Darrell J. Gaskin

This article sought to determine whether racial disparities exist in psychotropic drug use and expenditures in a nationally representative sample of men in the United States. Data were extracted from the 2000-2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a longitudinal survey that covers the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Full-Year Consolidated, Medical Conditions, and Prescribed Medicines data files were merged across 10 years of data. The sample of interest was limited to adult males aged 18 to 64 years, who reported their race as White, Black, Hispanic, or Asian. This study employed a pooled cross-sectional design and a two-part probit generalized linear model for analyses. Minority men reported a lower probability of psychotropic drug use (Black = −4.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [−5.5, −3.0]; Hispanic = −3.8%, 95% CI = [−5.1, −2.6]; Asian = −4.5%, 95% CI = [−6.2, −2.7]) compared with White men. After controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and health status variables, there were no statistically significant race differences in drug expenditures. Consistent with previous literature, racial and ethnic disparities in the use of psychotropic drugs present problems of access to mental health care and services.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Johansen ◽  
Joshua D. Niforatos ◽  
Jeremey B. Sussman

AbstractBackgroundAntihypertensives are the most used medication type in the United States, yet there remains uncertainty about the use of different antihypertensives. We sought to characterize use of antihypertensives by and within medication class(es) between 1997-2017.MethodsA repeated cross-sectional study of 493,596 adult individuals using the 1997-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The Orange Book and published research were used for adjunctive information. The primary outcome was the estimated use by and within anti-hypertensive medication class(es).ResultsThe proportion of individuals taking any antihypertensive during a year increased from 1997 to the early 2010’s and then remained stable. The proportion of the population taking 2 or more medications declined from 2015-2017. The proportion of adults using angiotensin II receptor-blockers (ARBs) and dihydropyridine calcium channel-blockers (CCBs) increased during the study period, while angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) increased until 2010 after which rates remained stable. Beta-blocker use was similar to ACE-Is with an earlier decline starting in 2012. Thiazide diuretic use increased from 1997-2007, leveled off until 2014, and declined from 2015-2017. Non-dihydropyridine CCBs use declined throughout the study. ACE-Is, ARBs, CCBs, thiazide diuretics, and loop diuretics all had one dominant in-class medication. There was a clear increase in the use of losartan within ARBs, lisinopril within ACE-Is, and amlodipine within CCBs following generic conversion. Furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide started with and maintained a dominant position in their classes. Metoprolol use increased throughout the study and became the dominant beta-blocker, while atenolol peaked around 2005 and then declined thereafter.ConclusionsAntihypertensive classes appear to have a propensity to equilibrate to an individual medication, despite a lack of outcomes based research to compare medications within a class. Future research could focus on comparative effectiveness for within-class medications early in the life cycle of therapeutics that are probable to have wide spread use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Bhugra ◽  
Reed Mszar ◽  
Javier Valero-Elizondo ◽  
Gowtham R Grandhi ◽  
Salim S Virani ◽  
...  

Abstract National estimates describing the overall prevalence of and disparities in influenza vaccination among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in United States are not well described. Therefore, we analyzed the prevalence of influenza vaccination among adults with DM, overall and by sociodemographic characteristics, using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey database from 2008 to 2016. Associations between sociodemographic factors and lack of vaccination were examined using adjusted logistic regression. Among adults with DM, 36% lacked influenza vaccination. Independent predictors of lacking influenza vaccination included age 18 to 39 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.14-3.00), Black race/ethnicity (OR 1.29; 95% CI, 1.14-1.46), uninsured status (OR 1.88; 95% CI, 1.59-2.21), and no usual source of care (OR 1.61; 95% CI, 1.39-1.85). Nearly 64% individuals with ≥ 4 higher-risk sociodemographic characteristics lacked influenza vaccination (OR 3.50; 95% CI 2.79-4.39). One-third of adults with DM in the United States lack influenza vaccination, with younger age, Black race, and lower socioeconomic status serving as strong predictors. These findings highlight the continued need for focused public health interventions to increase vaccine coverage and utilization among disadvantaged communities.


2011 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-369.e3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick W. Sullivan ◽  
Vahram H. Ghushchyan ◽  
Julia F. Slejko ◽  
Vasily Belozeroff ◽  
Denise R. Globe ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document