The Effect of Informative Letters on the Prescription and Receipt of Seroquel

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Health Expenditures; Economics; Fraud; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (U.S.); Delivery of Health Care
• Interventions: Other: Placebo letter; Other: Initial Informative letter; Other: Followup Informative Letter

• Registration Number: NCT02467933
• Lead Sponsor: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

Brief Summary

Abusive prescribing exposes patients to unnecessary health risks and results in wasteful public expenditures. This study will evaluate an innovative approach to fighting abusive prescription: sending letters to suspected inappropriate prescribers warning them that they are outliers compared to their peers and have been flagged for review. The study will target high prescribers of Seroquel (Quetiapine), an atypical antipsychotic. Using claims data, the investigators will assess the effect of the letters on prescribing of Seroquel, receipt of Seroquel by patients, substitution behavior by prescribers and patients, and health outcomes of patients.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-04
• Study First Submitted: 2015-06-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2015-06-09
• Study First Posted: 2015-06-10
• Primary Completion: 2016-01
• Study Completion: 2017-04
• Status Verified: 2021-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-08-05
• Last Update Posted: 2021-08-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 5055

Inclusion Criteria

• General care practitioner
• Outlier with respect to the count of Seroquel prescription drug treatments relative to peer group of prescribers in 2013 and 2014
• Outlier with respect to the count of Seroquel 30-day equivalent prescription drug treatments relative to peer group of prescribers in 2013 and 2014

Exclusion Criteria

• Deceased

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Placebo	Placebo letter	The placebo arm receives a placebo letter unrelated to Seroquel
Informative Letter	Initial Informative letter	The interventional arm prescribers receive an initial informative letter (called a comparative billing report or peer activity report) followed by 2 followup informative letters at approximately 3 month intervals.
Informative Letter	Followup Informative Letter	The interventional arm prescribers receive an initial informative letter (called a comparative billing report or peer activity report) followed by 2 followup informative letters at approximately 3 month intervals.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
30-day equivalent prescribing of Seroquel treatments	9 months	The prescribing of Seroquel over the 9 months following the initial sending of the letters. Prescribing is defined as the total "days supply" of Seroquel attributed to the prescriber, expressed in "30-day equivalents" i.e. divided by 30.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
30-day equivalent prescribing of Seroquel treatments	1 year