Generalizability and accuracy of IBM MarketScan health risk assessment instrument data for augmentation of commercial claims data.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the generalizability and accuracy of the IBM® MarketScan® Health Risk Assessment (HRA) data to assess its suitability as supplement to linked claims data. METHODS: We identified adult private insurance enrollees in the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Claims & Encounters (CC&E) and HRA databases between 2012 and 2017. In the claims data, for each enrollee, we sampled the first calendar year with continuous enrollment indicating full capture of claims data and extracted linked HRA survey data if available. We compared HRA participants and non-participants considering demographics, prevalences of chronic conditions, and healthcare utilization. Including the subsample with HRA data only, we estimated the negative predictive value (NPV) of obesity and smoking reported in the HRA against diagnosis code in the claims data. RESULTS: Between 2012 and 2017, 2 693 444 and 31 450 000 of HRA and non-HRA participants were included in the study, respectively. Chronic diseases were similarly distributed between the two populations, with hypertension and hyperlipidemia representing the highest prevalence difference (1.4%). The two samples showed similar healthcare utilization. The proportion of false-negatives for obesity and smoking information when relying on the HRA data compared to patients with positive diagnosis based on claims data was low (<1%). Prevalence estimates of both variables were similar to national estimates. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the overall HRA population may represent the overall claims population and HRA provides certain data elements with satisfactory accuracy.

Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Therapy in Patients With Versus Without Dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Discontinuation of long-term opioid therapy has increased in recent years, but whether this trend extends to patients with Alzheimer disease and related dementia remains unclear. METHODS: Medicare data from 2011 to 2018 were analyzed to compare the trends in the use and discontinuation of long-term opioid therapy between patients with and without Alzheimer disease and related dementia who had chronic noncancer pain. Outcome measures were annual proportions of (1) patients who received long-term opioid therapy and (2) long-term opioid therapy users who subsequently discontinued opioids for ≥30, 60, or 90 days during 12-month follow-up. All analyses were performed in 2021. RESULTS: The use of long-term opioid therapy decreased from 2011 to 2017 in both patients with and without Alzheimer disease and related dementia. In long-term opioid therapy users, discontinuation of opioids for ≥30, 60, and 90 days increased by 8% (95% CI=1.04, 1.12, p<0.001), 13% (95% CI=1.06, 1.20, p<0.001), and 18% (95% CI=1.10, 1.28, p<0.001), respectively, between 2011 and 2017 among patients with Alzheimer disease and related dementia, whereas the proportion was largely declining or unchanged among patients without the condition. Differences in long-term opioid therapy discontinuation by Alzheimer disease status widened over time (p<0.01 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS: Discontinuation of long-term opioid therapy was consistently higher in patients with than in patients without Alzheimer disease and related dementia, with the gap between the 2 groups widening over time. The reasons for these differences and the risk-benefit of increased long-term opioid therapy discontinuation among patients with Alzheimer disease and related dementia warrant further investigation.

Concurrent Use of Prescription Opioids and Gabapentinoids in Older Adults.

INTRODUCTION: Concurrent use of prescription opioids with gabapentinoids may pose risks of serious drug interactions. Yet, little is known about the trends in and patient characteristics associated with concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use among older Medicare opioid users with chronic noncancer pain. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Medicare older beneficiaries (aged ≥65 years) with chronic noncancer pain who filled ≥1 opioid prescription within 3 months after a randomly selected chronic noncancer pain diagnosis (index date) in a calendar year between 2011 and 2018. Patient characteristics were measured in the 6-month baseline before the index date, and concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use for ≥1 day was measured in the 3-month follow-up after the index date. Multivariable modified Poisson regression hwas used to assess the trends and characteristics of concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use. Analyses were conducted from January to June 2021. RESULTS: Among 464,721 eligible older beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain and prescription opioids, the prevalence of concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use increased from 17.0% in 2011 to 23.5% in 2018 (adjusted prevalence ratio=1.48, 95% CI=1.45, 1.53). Concurrent users versus opioid-only users tended to be non-Black, low-income subsidy recipients, and Southern residents. The clinical factors associated with concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use included having a diagnosis of neuropathic pain, polypharmacy, and risk factors for opioid-related adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use among older Medicare beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain and prescription opioids has increased significantly between 2011 and 2018. Future studies are warranted to investigate the impact of concurrent use on outcomes in older patients. Interventions that reduce inappropriate concurrent use may target older patients with identified characteristics.

Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists and Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease Exacerbations Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging data from animal and human pilot studies suggest potential benefits of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) on lung function. We aimed to assess the association of GLP-1RA and chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) exacerbation in a population with comorbid type 2 diabetes (T2D) and CLRD. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A new-user active-comparator analysis was conducted with use of a national claims database of beneficiaries with employer-sponsored health insurance spanning 2005-2017. We included adults with T2D and CLRD who initiated GLP-1RA or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4I) as an add-on therapy to their antidiabetes regimen. The primary outcome was time to first hospital admission for CLRD. The secondary outcome was a count of any CLRD exacerbation associated with an inpatient or outpatient visit. We estimated incidence rates using inverse probability of treatment weighting for each study group and compared via risk ratios. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 4,150 GLP-1RA and 12,540 DPP-4I new users with comorbid T2D and CLRD. The adjusted incidence rate of first CLRD admission during follow-up was 10.7 and 20.3 per 1,000 person-years for GLP-1RA and DPP-4I users, respectively, resulting in an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.52 (95% CI 0.32-0.85). For the secondary outcome, the adjusted incidence rate ratio was 0.70 (95% CI 0.57-0.87). CONCLUSIONS: GLP-1RA users had fewer CLRD exacerbations in comparison with DPP-4I users. Considering both plausible mechanistic pathways and this real-world evidence, potential beneficial effects of GLP-1RA may be considered in selection of an antidiabetes treatment regimen. Randomized clinical trials are warranted to confirm our findings.

Concomitant Use of Quinolones and Stimulants and the Risk of Adverse Cardiovascular Symptoms: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether concomitant use of quinolones and stimulants increases the risk of cardiac events in adults. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of privately insured adults using MarketScan® claims data from 2008 to 2015. PATIENTS: Stimulant (methylphenidate or mixed amphetamine salts) users (18-65 yrs old) with continuous health plan enrollment for the 6 months (baseline) prior to the first dispensation (index date) of oral quinolones or comparators (amoxicillin ± clavulanate or azithromycin). OUTCOMES DEFINITION: (1) Cardiac symptoms (palpitation, tachycardia, or syncope); (2) cardiac arrhythmias (ventricular arrhythmias, paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia, or cardiac arrest). ANALYSIS: Baseline covariates adjustment was through inverse probability of treatment weighting. Adults were followed until the antimicrobial therapy ended. The hazard of cardiac events in stimulant-quinolones-exposed adults was compared to those who were treated with stimulant-comparator antibiotics using a weighted Cox regression model. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to challenge the results robustness. RESULTS: The study cohorts comprised 390,490 stimulants users who initiated either quinolone or amoxicillin, and 387,574 patients receiving stimulants who initiated quinolone or azithromycin. The unadjusted incidence rate for cardiac symptoms in stimulant-quinolones users was 471 cases/10,000 patient-years, and it was 244 cases/10,000 patient-years in patients exposed to stimulant-amoxicillin; whereas the unadjusted incidence rate for cardiac symptoms was 728 and 358 per 10,000 patient-years for stimulant-quinolones and stimulant-azithromycin cohorts, respectively. Compared to stimulant-amoxicillin use, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for cardiac symptoms with stimulant-quinolones use was 1.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30-1.98). The HR for cardiac symptoms for patient exposed to stimulant-quinolones was 1.69 (95% CI, 1.32-2.13) when compared to stimulant-azithromycin. The sensitivity analysis findings were consistent with the primary analysis. A few patients across the study comparison groups developed cardiac arrhythmias. CONCLUSION: Concomitant use of stimulants and quinolone was associated with an increased hazard of cardiac symptoms in comparison to concomitant use of stimulants and amoxicillin or azithromycin, but there was no apparent difference in cardiac arrhythmias.

Association between depression and maintenance medication adherence among Medicare beneficiaries with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: Depression is a significant comorbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although comorbid depression is associated with low use and poor adherence to medications treating other chronic conditions, evidence of the relationship between depression and COPD management is limited. This study estimated the association between depression and COPD maintenance medication (MM) adherence among patients with COPD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used a 5% random sample of 2006-2007 Chronic Condition Warehouse data. Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Parts A, B, and D plans with diagnosed COPD who survived through 2006 were included (n = 74,863). COPD MM adherence was measured as medication discontinuation and proportion of days covered (PDC). Depression was identified through the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes. Multivariable models with modified generalized estimating equations were used to estimate adjusted association between depression diagnosis and medication adherence, controlling for sociodemographics, comorbidities, and disease severity. RESULTS: Among the sample, about one third (33.6%) had diagnosed depression. More than half (61.8%) of beneficiaries with COPD filled at least one COPD MM prescription. Depressed beneficiaries had a higher likelihood of using COPD MM than non-depressed beneficiaries (adjusted prevalence ratios [PR] = 1.02; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.01, 1.03). Among COPD MM users, depressed beneficiaries were more likely to discontinue medications (PR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.04, 1.14) and less likely to exhibit PDC ≥ 0.80 (PR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.86, 0.92) than non-depressed beneficiaries. CONCLUSIONS: Depression is prevalent in Medicare beneficiaries with COPD and independently associated with lower COPD MM adherence. Interventions to improve medication adherence for COPD patients may consider management of comorbidities such as depression.