Profiles of Medication Use: Patterns of Drug Utilization Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Overview:
The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) and subsequent legislation include mandates for quality initiatives associated with medication use in Medicare beneficiaries. These include medication therapy management (MTM) programs, Medicare demonstration projects, Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), and the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).

In order to establish a pre-MMA baseline to measure the impact of MMA on prescribing, the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy published Medication Use by Aged and Disabled Medicare Beneficiaries Across the Spectrum of Morbidity: A Chartbook. The book benchmarks prescription drug use patterns in 2002 for cohorts of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries with eight common chronic conditions: arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), dementia, depression, diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease. The book provides a population-level view of medication utilization patterns in general plus statistics specific to drugs recommended in treatment guidelines for each condition. Evidence of significant suboptimal medication use was observed among beneficiaries at both ends of the spectrum of disease burden.

This presentation builds on the work reported in the Chartbook with a focus on how profiling can be used to improve medication management in various settings including clinical practice, health plans, and the Medicare program. Graphic vignettes will be used to highlight five topics: (1) how to identify potential cost offsets in diabetes medication management, (2) finding a better way to target MTM services under Part D, (2) assessing whether beta-blockers are effective in treating heart failure among aged African Americans, (4) Polypharmacy and hospitalization risk for nursing home residents, and (5) medication management at end of life.

Faculty
Bruce Stuart, PhD
Professor and Director
The Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

Program Date
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presentation