Dong-Churl Suh

Treatment patterns and associated costs with Parkinson's disease levodopa induced dyskinesia.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the treatment patterns, direct healthcare costs and predictors of treatment costs associated with levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinsons disease (PD). METHODS This retrospective cohort study followed PD patients for 1-year pre- and post-onset of LID, using a large US health insurance claims database from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2008. Patients with LID were matched to patients without LID based on propensity scores to control for potential selection bias. Descriptive statistics and bootstrap techniques were employed to assess patient demographic and clinical characteristics and costs incurred. Factors influencing treatment costs were analyzed using a generalized linear model with log-link function and gamma distribution. Costs were adjusted to 2009 prices. RESULTS After patients developed LID, their total treatment costs were increased from

Incidence and treatment costs attributable to medication errors in hospitalized patients.

18,645 during the 12 months preceding LID onset to

Risk of Hemorrhage and Treatment Costs Associated With Warfarin Drug Interactions in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

26,439 for the 12-month period subsequent to LID onset (incremental costs of

Use of medications and resources for treatment of nausea, vomiting, or constipation in hospitalized patients treated with analgesics.

7795: P<0.001). PD-related costs increased from

Factors associated with warfarin discontinuation, including bleeding patterns, in atrial fibrillation patients

3917 to

Effects of computerized physician order entry on medication turnaround time and orders requiring pharmacist intervention

8110 (incremental costs of

Cost-effectiveness of insulin detemir: a systematic review

4194: p<0.001) LID events, medical resource utilization, higher levodopa dosage, and use of alternative PD medications were associated with increases in total treatment costs. Few changes in medication treatment patterns were noted following the initial LID, with only slight increases in levodopa dosage and few additions of alternative agents. CONCLUSIONS In the United States, PD patients with LID impose a significant economic burden when compared to patients without LID. Currently available, treatment strategies for dyskinesia should be used more frequently in PD management, and new treatment strategies should be considered as they may lower healthcare costs.

Cost Effectiveness of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for Rare Diseases: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND A significant financial burden arises from medication errors that cause direct injury and those without patient harm that represent waste and inefficiency. OBJECTIVE To estimate the incidence, types, and causes of medication errors as well as their attributable costs in a hospital setting. METHODS For a retrospective case-control study, data were collected for 57,554 patients admitted to two New Jersey (U.S. State) hospitals during 2005-2006 as well as hospital-specific voluntary error reports from these two hospitals for the same period. Medication errors were classified into categories of stage, error type, and proximal cause, and the incidence was estimated. The costs attributable to medication errors were calculated using both the recycled prediction method, and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method after propensity score matching. RESULTS Medication errors occurred at a rate of 0.8 per 100 admissions, or 1.6 per 1000 patient days. Most errors occurred at the administration stage of the medication use process. The most frequent types of errors were wrong time, wrong medication, wrong dose, and omission errors. Treatment costs attributable to medication errors were in the range of

Costs Attributable to Overweight and Obesity in Working Asthma Patients in the United States

8,439 using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method and

Cost-effectiveness of cetuximab for colorectal cancer

8,898 using the recycled prediction method. CONCLUSIONS Medication errors are associated with significant additional costs, even without patient harm. Considering the substantial costs associated with adverse drug events, the elimination of medication errors should be further emphasized and promoted, and guidelines should be developed to facilitate this goal.