This study looked at the impact of Medicare Part D coverage gaps by examining drug discontinuation and reinitiation among Medicare beneficiaries using medications for cancer or rheumatoid arthritis. The study found that patients in the arthritis or cancer groups—28 and 21 percent,...

This chartbook presents highlights and key comparisons from the state-by-state Statistical Compendium on Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and reimbursement in 2006, which is available on the CMS website. The 2006 data show the initial impact on Medicaid of the movement of prescription drug coverage...

This article presents findings from a study to determine if medical information in patient charts could offer clinical details that would help interpret a claims-based comparative effectiveness study of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

A retrospective analysis of Medicare claims data examined the relationship between outpatient visits within 14 days after hospital discharge and readmission for beneficiaries with atrial fibrillation or other chronic conditions. About half of those beneficiaries with a hospitalization had an...

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in the United States, affecting more than 5 million people at an expected cost of $34.8 billion in 2008. This article examines the association of medication adherence via the medication possession ratio with...

This chartbook presents highlights and key comparisons from the statistical compendium on Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and reimbursement in 2009 that Mathematica prepared for CMS. Mathematica has prepared similar compendiums and chartbooks for 1999 and for each year from 2001 to 2009. The 2009...

This paper describes a multi-method approach for evaluating 10 small interventions that participated in the Medicaid Value Program, which sought to improve quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. The approach relied on quantitative and qualitative methods to...