Margaret K. Pasquale

The prevalence of diagnosed opioid abuse in commercial and Medicare managed care populations.

To measure the prevalence of diagnosed opioid abuse and prescription opioid use in a multistate managed care organization.

Pain Conditions Ranked by Healthcare Costs for Members of a National Health Plan

Healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs specific to pain are a growing concern, as increasing dollar amounts are spent on pain‐related conditions. Understanding which pain conditions drive the highest utilization and cost burden to the healthcare system would enable providers and payers to better target conditions to manage pain adequately and efficiently. The current study focused on 36 noncancer chronic and 14 noncancer acute pain conditions and measured the HCRU and costs per member over 365 days. These conditions were ranked by per‐member costs and total adjusted healthcare costs to determine the most expensive conditions to a national health plan. The top 5 conditions for the commercial line of business were back pain, osteoarthritis (OA), childbirth, injuries, and non‐hip, non‐spine fractures (adjusted annual total costs for the commercial members were

Cost Drivers of Prescription Opioid Abuse in Commercial and Medicare Populations

119 million,

Impact of Out-of-Pocket Costs on Prescription Fills Among New Initiators of Biologic Therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis

98 million,

Glycemic Control Outcomes After Canagliflozin Initiation: Observations in a Medicare and Commercial Managed Care Population in Clinical Practice

69 million,

Predictors of reaching a serum uric acid goal in patients with gout and treated with febuxostat

61 million, and

Ulcerative Colitis Treatment Patterns and Cost of Care

48 million, respectively). The top 5 conditions for Medicare members were OA, back pain, hip fractures, injuries, and non‐hip, non‐spine fractures (adjusted annual costs for the Medicare members were

COPD exacerbations associated with the modified Medical Research Council scale and COPD assessment test among Humana Medicare members

327 million,

Payer and Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Considerations for Outcomes-Based Agreements in the United States☆

218 million,

Educational intervention for physicians to address the risk of opioid abuse

117 million,