Prospective Service Use and Health Care Costs of Medicaid Beneficiaries with Treatment-Resistant Depression

BACKGROUND: Although the clinical and health economic characteristics of commercially insured adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) have been well characterized, little is known about TRD in the Medicaid population. OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical and health economic characteristics of adult Medicaid beneficiaries with TRD. METHODS: Retrospective longitudinal cohort analyses were performed with Truven Health MarketScan Medicaid Database (2008-2014), focusing on adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) following an index antidepressant prescription. TRD was operationally defined as starting a third treatment regimen after 2 adequate regimens of antidepressants or augmentation therapy within 12 months of an index antidepressant prescription. Among patients with and without TRD, percentages with inpatient admissions, emergency department visits, and outpatient visits (all cause, mental health related, and depression related) were determined. Logistic regression models were used to examine assoc...