Methods
Data Source
The claims data were obtained from the PharMetrics
Integrated Database from July 2008 to June 2010 (IMS
Health, Inc; Danbury, CT). This deidentified database
includes medical and pharmacy claims of patients
enrolled by commercial insurers in the United States.
The PharMetrics Integrated Database includes inpatient
and outpatient claims, diagnoses, and procedures based
on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth
Revision (ICD-9); Current Procedural Terminology, Fourth
Edition codes; and retail and mail-order pharmacy claims
in excess of 70 million individuals from more than 100
health plans.