Abstract ECONOMIC IMPACT OF WASTE IN PRESCRIBING, DISPENSING, AND MEDICATION CONSUMPTION IN THE UNITED STATES By Sarah A. Almanie, M.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015. Major Director: David A. Holdford, R.Ph., M.S., Ph.D., FAPhA Professor Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science OBJECTIVES: This research examines waste associated with the medication use process which consists of unfilled prescriptions, abandoned prescriptions, or unused prescription medications. The aim of this study is to quantify the direct medical costs of medication waste in delivery of care in the United States. METHODS: A review of published literature and data from the 2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was used to quantify the number of prescriptions wasted at different stages of the medication prescribing and use process and the associated costs were calculated. RESULTS: In 2012, more than 26 million prescriptions were either unfilled or abandoned, and more than 225 million resulted in dispensed medications that were not used. The total cost of this waste was estimated at $30.4 billion. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who do not fulfill their role in the medication use process cause significant, avoidable costs to the health care system beyond the health outcomes not achieved.

For patients afflicted with symptoms of anxiety and insomnia, benzodiazepines are generally a safe and effective short-term pharmacological treatment option. Although considered safer than other sedative-hypnotic medications, substantial concern exists regarding the addictive nature and abuse potential of benzodiazepines along with potentially inappropriate prescribing and utilization in clinically vulnerable populations. These medication misadventures can have a significant impact on public health. Examples of medication misadventures as they pertain to benzodiazepines include the prescribing and use in clinically vulnerable populations for whom they are contraindicated or their efficacy has not been evaluated, the development of tolerance or addiction, abuse of the medication, and the manifestation of negative health outcomes including cognitive impairment, withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation, or the reoccurrence of a preexisting substance use disorder. In order to better understand medication misadventures associated with benzodiazepines retrospective analyses using populations extracted from large health claims databases are employed. To understand how benzodiazepine use may lead to adverse events causing patient harm, the risk of exacerbations in benzodiazepine users diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was estimated. The inherent risk of benzodiazepine addiction and abuse was estimated in an HIV-infected population, a population with a high prevalence of substance use disorders. This risk was estimated by first determining whether HIV-infected individuals are more likely to have any benzodiazepine use compared to their uninfected counterparts, and secondly, by examining the association between HIV-infection and potentially problematic benzodiazepine use. Finally, in an effort to mitigate unexpected and undesirable consequences to public health associated with the prescription drug abuse epidemic in the US, states have implemented prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) to track the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substance medications. The effect of these programs on benzodiazepine dispensing is evaluated on a state and national level. Findings will provide healthcare professionals a better understanding regarding the risk of medication misadventures involving benzodiazepines when evaluating their appropriateness in patients with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Additionally, policymakers will understand the implications of PDMPs on the dispensing of benzodiazepines as they become a more widely used tool to combat prescription drug abuse and diversion.

Proposta: O hospital é parte integrante de um sistema coordenado de saúde, cuja função é a prestação de serviços. Os administradores hospitalares preocupam-se em obter o menor custo possível e maximizar a qualidade. Como o custo hospitalar tem uma parcela importante representada pelo consumo de materiais e medicamentos, sendo a farmácia o setor responsável pelo controle, estoque e dispensação, o profissional farmacêutico tem-se aprimorado profissionalmente e desenvolvido pesquisas e estudos, para reformular suas atividades básicas e retomar algumas funções primárias como a farmacoeconomia, a fim de adequar-se as novas exigências. É relevante neste contexto o sistema de distribuição de medicamentos, que se iniciou com a dose coletiva, cujos principais problemas era o aumento do potencial de erros de medicação, as perdas econômicas decorrentes da falta de controles, e o tempo excessivo gasto pela enfermagem para separar a medicação, em vez de dar assistência aos pacientes. Depois avançou para dose individualizada, que além de minimizar e/ou extinguir todas as desvantagens da dose coletiva, apresentava um controle mais efetivo do consumo dos medicamentos, aumentando a integração do farmacêutico com a equipe de saúde, sendo sua principal desvantagem, o aumento das necessidades de recursos humanos e infra-estrutura da Farmácia Hospitalar. E por último a dose unitária, originada da dose individualizada, que tem como principais objetivos racionalizar a terapêutica, diminuir custos sem reduzir a qualidade da dispensação; e garantir que os medicamentos prescritos cheguem ao paciente de forma segura e higiênica, assegurando a eficácia do esquema terapêutico prescrito. Após associar os conceitos descritos acima, a farmácia do Centro Cirúrgico do Instituto Central do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP propôs-se a identificar o elenco representativo de produtos, e utilizar estes grupos de medicamentos, na elaboração, ampliação, e experimentação do sistema de dispensação de kit. Esta nova alternativa pretende atingir como os dois principais benefícios a melhor utilização de recursos econômicos e a elevação da qualidade de assistência prestada ao paciente e equipe multiprofissional. Método: O método de pesquisa utilizado foi um estudo de caso qualitativo/quantitativo, sendo o mesmo realizado no Centro Cirúrgico do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, no período de 12/05/2002 a 22/07/2002. Foram escolhidas como amostra as dez salas do bloco III, onde pudemos acompanhar procedimentos de médio e grande porte de determinadas especialidades médicocirúrgicas. O estudo foi dividido em três etapas, sendo as duas primeiras experimentais, e a terceira apenas de análise e interpretação dos achados. Foi realizado o mapeamento do elenco de medicamentos disponibilizado (seja nos carrinhos de drogas, nos kits e nas solicitações extra) e o levantamento do consumo de três dias de funcionamento de cada sala cirúrgica do Bloco III, nas duas etapas experimentais. Na primeira etapa - pré kit - o levantamento foi realizado através da verificação do elenco e das quantidades contidas nos carros de parada e anestesia de cada uma das salas, às 06h30min da manhã antes do início das cirurgias e no final da tarde após o término da última, assim, delimitando o consumo/dia/sala. Estes levantamentos eram feitos em dias aleatórios para não induzir a equipe médica ou a enfermagem em modificar seu consumo. Na segunda etapa - pós kit - realizou-se o levantamento dentro da unidade farmacêutica através da análise dos documentos de dispensação do kit e notas de débito, onde estavam relacionadas as quantidades de medicamentos utilizadas e solicitadas pela auxiliar de enfermagem durante a cirurgia. A confirmação desta documentação era feita através da conferencia do kit e devolução de medicamentos extra. Os carros de medicamentos não estavam mais sendo utilizados, apenas os kits e os medicamentos extra, que pela rotina estabelecida deviam ser devolvidos após o término de cada cirurgia, não permanecendo nada em sala entre uma cirurgia e outra. Após o fechamento dos dois levantamentos pré e pósimplantação do kit procedeu-se às seguintes análises dos resultados: Comparação do consumo de medicamentos por sala/dia; Relação de preço de cada medicamento utilizado; Cálculo do valor total gasto por sala/dia; Comparação do valor gasto por sala/dia. Vale assinalar que: Os anestésicos inalatórios não entraram no levantamento dos medicamentos utilizados nas cirurgias, pois comportam frações diferentes para cada paciente; No primeiro dia de mapeamento (pré e pós) das salas cirúrgicas, os medicamentos vencidos encontrados foram recolhidos e considerados como consumidos. Resultados: Não houve críticas nem reclamações em relação ao novo sistema implantado. Quantitativamente, houve uma redução de aproximadamente 47% no estoque inicial, 54% nas solicitações extras e 30,4% no consumo de medicamentos, com impacto muito relevante sobre os custos. Conclusões: Foi viável e benéfica a prática de implantação dos kits, pois houve redução de aproximadamente 60% nos gastos, estimados pelo preço de medicamentos, traduzindo menores perdas e desperdícios. / Purpose: The hospital a integrant of a health coordinated system, which duty is offer services. The hospital administrators\' worry is get the lowest cost as possible and increasing the quality. As the hospital cost has an important installment represented by the medicine and materials consumed, and the pharmacy being the control responsible section, storage and dispensation, the pharmacist has improving professionally and developing researches and studies, in order to reformulate ones basics activities and recover some primary functions such as pharmaco economy, in order to adequate the new demands. The medicine distribution system is relevant in this context, which has started with a collective dose, which the main problems were the medicine error increased, the economic losses because of the lack of control, and the excessive expenses by the nurse ring in order to sort out the medicine, instead of patient care. Then it upgrade to the individual dose, which has not only decrease and /or extinguishes all the disadvantage of collective dose, presented a more effective control of the medicine consume, increasing the pharmacist integration along with health group, being the main disadvantage, the increase of Hospital Pharmacy infrastructure and human recourse need. And the one dose being the last one, being a derivation from the individual dose, which has as the main targets rationalize the therapy, decrease the costs without reducing the dispensation quality; and guaranty that the prescribed medicine reach the patient in a hygienic and safe fashion, guarantying the efficacy of the prescribed therapeutic scheme. After having connect the above described concepts, the Surgery Room of Instituto Central do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP purpose identify a representative product group, and use these medicine group, on the kit dispensation system elaboration, increase , and experiment. This new alternative intend to hit as the two main benefits which are the better use of economic resources and increasing the assistance quality giving to the patient and to the multi professional team. Method: The used research method applied was a qualitative/quantitative study case, where it was applied at the Centro Cirúrgico do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, from 12/05/2002 to 22/07/2002. Were chosen as samples the ten surgey rooms of Block III, where we could follow big and medium port procedures of specific medical surgery specialties. The study was divided into three steps, where the first two experiments, and the third one was only analyses and comprehension of found. From the available medicine group mapping was taken (which means ones in the drug trolleys, at the kits and the extra solicitations) and the inventory of three day consumptions of each surgery room at the Block III, at the two experimental steps. At the first step - pre kit - the inventory was taken through a verification of the group the quantities which were in the drug emergency trolley and anesthesia of each room, at 06:30 min a.m. before the surgeries starting and at the late afternoon after the last surgery happened, so, determining the consumption/ day/room. These inventories were chosen in random days way in order not to prompt the medical or the nursing group to modify their consumption. At the second step - post kit - the inventory was taken in the pharmacy unit through out of a kit dispensation documents analyses and debit note, which were listed the medicine amount used and from the nurse asked for during the surgery. This document confirmation was done through out of the kit checking and the extra medicine return. The medicine trolley were not use any more, only the kits and the extra medicine, which through the established routine should be returned after each surgery ended, and nothing was left in the surgery room between surgeries. The analyses of the results were taken right after the closing of the two research pre and post kit implementation: Medicine consume comparison by room/day; Listing the price of each medicine used; Total expenses calculated by room/day; Comparison of expenses by room/day. Is worthwhile note that: The inhale ting anesthetic are not considered on the used medicine inventory used at the surgery, because it holds different fractions for each patient; At the first surgery room mapping day (pre and post) the out of day medicine were took away and considered as used. Results: There were no criticism nor complaints related to implemented new system. Quantitatively, there was a decrease of 47% on the initial stock, 54% at the extra solicitations and 30,4% at the medicine consumption, with a very related impact on the costs. Conclusions: The implementation of the kits was totally viable because there was about 60% costs reduction, estimated by the medicine price, presenting less losses and wastings.

Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. Patients diagnosed with metastatic RCC (mRCC) have shorter overall survival compared to those diagnosed at earlier stages. Several targeted therapies, which cost from $7,000 - $16,000 per month have been approved since 2005 to treat mRCC. In addition, there is a growing interest in the use of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) with targeted therapies among mRCC patients. However, little is known regarding the economic burden of RCC and role of CN and prescribing patterns of targeted therapies among older mRCC patients. Objectives 1) To assess the economic burden of RCC among older adults in the targeted therapy era 2) To compare the overall survival (OS) and total healthcare cost (THC) among older mRCC patients receiving CN and targeted therapy versus patients receiving targeted therapy alone 3) To describe prescribing patterns of targeted therapies and associated OS and THC among older mRCC patients. Methods This dissertation was conducted using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) - Medicare linked data. For the first objective, the study included a prevalent cohort of RCC patients from 2013, diagnosed during 2005 - 2013 and continuously enrolled in Medicare. RCC patients were matched to non-cancer beneficiaries using propensity score matching. Generalized linear models estimated the incremental healthcare costs. Incremental total healthcare cost (THC) was multiplied by the estimated number of RCC patients on Medicare to calculate the total economic burden of RCC. For the second objective, we included patients diagnosed with mRCC between 2007-2014 and compared overall survival (OS), and THC between patients who received CN + targeted therapy and targeted therapy alone. A propensity score based inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method was used to balance the two treatment groups. A Cox proportional hazard model assessed the risk for death and a GLM compared healthcare costs between the groups. For the third objective, patients with mRCC were defined as patients who were diagnosed at stage-IV or at earlier stages but were currently using targeted therapies. Further, we restricted our sample to patients who initiated targeted therapy. We described the frequencies of the most common first and second line targeted therapies. We also described OS and THC per month for clear-cell and non-clear cell mRCC for each therapy and line of therapy. Results The first study included 10,392 each of RCC and control patients. The average THC associated with RCC was $7,419. The average THC was $4,584 for patients diagnosed at stage-I, $4,727 for stage-II, $9,331 for stage-III, and $31,637 for stage-IV. The annual economic burden of RCC on Medicare was estimated to be $1.5 billion. The second study included 471 mRCC patients that received CN + targeted therapy or targeted therapy alone. The median OS from the adjusted survival curves was significantly higher (p Conclusions The economic burden of RCC varied substantially between early stage and metastatic patients. Among mRCC patients, use of CN among targeted therapy users was associated with a higher median OS and similar monthly THC over a lifetime. Sunitinib and everolimus were the most common first and second line targeted therapies among mRCC patients. The descriptive analysis suggested that OS and THC were similar across types of targeted therapy sequences.

Proposta: O hospital é parte integrante de um sistema coordenado de saúde, cuja função é a prestação de serviços. Os administradores hospitalares preocupam-se em obter o menor custo possível e maximizar a qualidade. Como o custo hospitalar tem uma parcela importante representada pelo consumo de materiais e medicamentos, sendo a farmácia o setor responsável pelo controle, estoque e dispensação, o profissional farmacêutico tem-se aprimorado profissionalmente e desenvolvido pesquisas e estudos, para reformular suas atividades básicas e retomar algumas funções primárias como a farmacoeconomia, a fim de adequar-se as novas exigências. É relevante neste contexto o sistema de distribuição de medicamentos, que se iniciou com a dose coletiva, cujos principais problemas era o aumento do potencial de erros de medicação, as perdas econômicas decorrentes da falta de controles, e o tempo excessivo gasto pela enfermagem para separar a medicação, em vez de dar assistência aos pacientes. Depois avançou para dose individualizada, que além de minimizar e/ou extinguir todas as desvantagens da dose coletiva, apresentava um controle mais efetivo do consumo dos medicamentos, aumentando a integração do farmacêutico com a equipe de saúde, sendo sua principal desvantagem, o aumento das necessidades de recursos humanos e infra-estrutura da Farmácia Hospitalar. E por último a dose unitária, originada da dose individualizada, que tem como principais objetivos racionalizar a terapêutica, diminuir custos sem reduzir a qualidade da dispensação; e garantir que os medicamentos prescritos cheguem ao paciente de forma segura e higiênica, assegurando a eficácia do esquema terapêutico prescrito. Após associar os conceitos descritos acima, a farmácia do Centro Cirúrgico do Instituto Central do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP propôs-se a identificar o elenco representativo de produtos, e utilizar estes grupos de medicamentos, na elaboração, ampliação, e experimentação do sistema de dispensação de kit. Esta nova alternativa pretende atingir como os dois principais benefícios a melhor utilização de recursos econômicos e a elevação da qualidade de assistência prestada ao paciente e equipe multiprofissional. Método: O método de pesquisa utilizado foi um estudo de caso qualitativo/quantitativo, sendo o mesmo realizado no Centro Cirúrgico do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, no período de 12/05/2002 a 22/07/2002. Foram escolhidas como amostra as dez salas do bloco III, onde pudemos acompanhar procedimentos de médio e grande porte de determinadas especialidades médicocirúrgicas. O estudo foi dividido em três etapas, sendo as duas primeiras experimentais, e a terceira apenas de análise e interpretação dos achados. Foi realizado o mapeamento do elenco de medicamentos disponibilizado (seja nos carrinhos de drogas, nos kits e nas solicitações extra) e o levantamento do consumo de três dias de funcionamento de cada sala cirúrgica do Bloco III, nas duas etapas experimentais. Na primeira etapa - pré kit - o levantamento foi realizado através da verificação do elenco e das quantidades contidas nos carros de parada e anestesia de cada uma das salas, às 06h30min da manhã antes do início das cirurgias e no final da tarde após o término da última, assim, delimitando o consumo/dia/sala. Estes levantamentos eram feitos em dias aleatórios para não induzir a equipe médica ou a enfermagem em modificar seu consumo. Na segunda etapa - pós kit - realizou-se o levantamento dentro da unidade farmacêutica através da análise dos documentos de dispensação do kit e notas de débito, onde estavam relacionadas as quantidades de medicamentos utilizadas e solicitadas pela auxiliar de enfermagem durante a cirurgia. A confirmação desta documentação era feita através da conferencia do kit e devolução de medicamentos extra. Os carros de medicamentos não estavam mais sendo utilizados, apenas os kits e os medicamentos extra, que pela rotina estabelecida deviam ser devolvidos após o término de cada cirurgia, não permanecendo nada em sala entre uma cirurgia e outra. Após o fechamento dos dois levantamentos pré e pósimplantação do kit procedeu-se às seguintes análises dos resultados: Comparação do consumo de medicamentos por sala/dia; Relação de preço de cada medicamento utilizado; Cálculo do valor total gasto por sala/dia; Comparação do valor gasto por sala/dia. Vale assinalar que: Os anestésicos inalatórios não entraram no levantamento dos medicamentos utilizados nas cirurgias, pois comportam frações diferentes para cada paciente; No primeiro dia de mapeamento (pré e pós) das salas cirúrgicas, os medicamentos vencidos encontrados foram recolhidos e considerados como consumidos. Resultados: Não houve críticas nem reclamações em relação ao novo sistema implantado. Quantitativamente, houve uma redução de aproximadamente 47% no estoque inicial, 54% nas solicitações extras e 30,4% no consumo de medicamentos, com impacto muito relevante sobre os custos. Conclusões: Foi viável e benéfica a prática de implantação dos kits, pois houve redução de aproximadamente 60% nos gastos, estimados pelo preço de medicamentos, traduzindo menores perdas e desperdícios. / Purpose: The hospital a integrant of a health coordinated system, which duty is offer services. The hospital administrators\' worry is get the lowest cost as possible and increasing the quality. As the hospital cost has an important installment represented by the medicine and materials consumed, and the pharmacy being the control responsible section, storage and dispensation, the pharmacist has improving professionally and developing researches and studies, in order to reformulate ones basics activities and recover some primary functions such as pharmaco economy, in order to adequate the new demands. The medicine distribution system is relevant in this context, which has started with a collective dose, which the main problems were the medicine error increased, the economic losses because of the lack of control, and the excessive expenses by the nurse ring in order to sort out the medicine, instead of patient care. Then it upgrade to the individual dose, which has not only decrease and /or extinguishes all the disadvantage of collective dose, presented a more effective control of the medicine consume, increasing the pharmacist integration along with health group, being the main disadvantage, the increase of Hospital Pharmacy infrastructure and human recourse need. And the one dose being the last one, being a derivation from the individual dose, which has as the main targets rationalize the therapy, decrease the costs without reducing the dispensation quality; and guaranty that the prescribed medicine reach the patient in a hygienic and safe fashion, guarantying the efficacy of the prescribed therapeutic scheme. After having connect the above described concepts, the Surgery Room of Instituto Central do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP purpose identify a representative product group, and use these medicine group, on the kit dispensation system elaboration, increase , and experiment. This new alternative intend to hit as the two main benefits which are the better use of economic resources and increasing the assistance quality giving to the patient and to the multi professional team. Method: The used research method applied was a qualitative/quantitative study case, where it was applied at the Centro Cirúrgico do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, from 12/05/2002 to 22/07/2002. Were chosen as samples the ten surgey rooms of Block III, where we could follow big and medium port procedures of specific medical surgery specialties. The study was divided into three steps, where the first two experiments, and the third one was only analyses and comprehension of found. From the available medicine group mapping was taken (which means ones in the drug trolleys, at the kits and the extra solicitations) and the inventory of three day consumptions of each surgery room at the Block III, at the two experimental steps. At the first step - pre kit - the inventory was taken through a verification of the group the quantities which were in the drug emergency trolley and anesthesia of each room, at 06:30 min a.m. before the surgeries starting and at the late afternoon after the last surgery happened, so, determining the consumption/ day/room. These inventories were chosen in random days way in order not to prompt the medical or the nursing group to modify their consumption. At the second step - post kit - the inventory was taken in the pharmacy unit through out of a kit dispensation documents analyses and debit note, which were listed the medicine amount used and from the nurse asked for during the surgery. This document confirmation was done through out of the kit checking and the extra medicine return. The medicine trolley were not use any more, only the kits and the extra medicine, which through the established routine should be returned after each surgery ended, and nothing was left in the surgery room between surgeries. The analyses of the results were taken right after the closing of the two research pre and post kit implementation: Medicine consume comparison by room/day; Listing the price of each medicine used; Total expenses calculated by room/day; Comparison of expenses by room/day. Is worthwhile note that: The inhale ting anesthetic are not considered on the used medicine inventory used at the surgery, because it holds different fractions for each patient; At the first surgery room mapping day (pre and post) the out of day medicine were took away and considered as used. Results: There were no criticism nor complaints related to implemented new system. Quantitatively, there was a decrease of 47% on the initial stock, 54% at the extra solicitations and 30,4% at the medicine consumption, with a very related impact on the costs. Conclusions: The implementation of the kits was totally viable because there was about 60% costs reduction, estimated by the medicine price, presenting less losses and wastings.

Nursing homes are an essential yet understudied provider of cancer-related care for those with complex health needs. Nine percent of nursing home residents have a cancer diagnosis at admission, and it is estimated that one-third of them experience pain on a daily basis. Although pain management is an essential component of disease treatment, few studies have evaluated analgesic medication use among adults with cancer in this setting. Use of opioids, which are the mainstay of pain management in older adults because of their effectiveness in controlling moderate to severe pain, may be significantly related to coverage by the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. However, little is known about Medicare Part D’s effects on opioid use in this patient population. A limited body of evidence also suggests that despite known risks of overdose and respiratory depression in opioid-naïve patients treated with long-acting opioids, use of these agents may be common in nursing homes. This dissertation examined access to appropriate and effective pain-related health care services among US nursing home residents, with a special focus on those with cancer. Objectives of this dissertation were to: 1) estimate the prevalence, and identify resident-level correlates, of pain and receipt of analgesic medications; 2) use a quasi-experimental research design to examine the relationship between implementation of Medicare Part D and changes in the use of fentanyl patches and other opioids; and 3) to estimate the prevalence, and identify resident-level correlates, of naïve initiation of long-acting opioids. Data on residents’ health status from the Resident Assessment Instrument/Minimum Data Set (versions 2.0 and 3.0) were linked with prescription drug transaction data from a nationwide long-term care pharmacy (January 2005–June 2007) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (January–December 2011). From 2006 to 2007, more than 65% of residents of nursing homes throughout the US with cancer experienced pain (28.3% on a daily basis), among whom 13.5% reported severe pain. More than 17% of these residents who experienced daily pain received no analgesics (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.0–19.1%), and treatment was negatively associated among those with advanced age, cognitive impairment, feeding tubes, and restraints. These findings coincided with changing patterns in opioid use among residents with cancer, including relatively abrupt 10% and 21% decreases in use of fentanyl patches and other strong opioids, respectively, after the 2006 implementation of Medicare Part D. In the years since Medicare Part D was introduced, some treatment practices in nursing homes have not been concordant with clinical guidelines for pain management among older adults. Among a contemporary population of long-stay nursing home residents with and without cancer, 10.0% (95% CI: 9.4–10.6%) of those who began receiving a long-acting opioid after nursing home admission had not previously received opioid therapy. Odds of naïve initiation of these potent opioids were increased among residents with terminal prognosis, functional impairment, feeding tubes, and cancer. This dissertation provides new evidence on pharmaceutical management of pain and on Medicare Part D’s impact on opioid use in nursing home residents. Results from this dissertation shed light on nursing home residents’ access to pain-related health care services and provide initial directions for targeted efforts to improve the quality of pain treatment in nursing homes.