Factors driving anticoagulant selection in patients with atrial fibrillation in the United States.

ABSTRACT: With the introduction of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs), the factors driving anticoagulant selection in atrial fibrillation (AF) in real-world practice are unclear. The goal was to examine whether and to what extent utilization has been driven by predictions of stroke risk (treatment benefit), bleeding risk (treatment harm), or prescription benefits' coverage. We extracted a cohort of patients with nonvalvular AF initiating anticoagulation from October 2010 to December 2012 from a large US database of commercial and Medicare supplement claims. Multivariable regression examined associations between ischemic stroke (CHA2DS2-VASc) and bleeding (Anticoagulation and Risk Factors in Atrial Fibrillation [ATRIA]) risk scores and benefits' generosity (proportion of costs covered by patients rela

SUBMITTER: Lauffenburger JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4380530 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature