Jodi B. Segal, MD, MPH

The majority of orphan drugs are subject to utilization controls in Medicare Part D plans. The use of utilization controls varies by certain drug characteristics.

Without clinical information, a decrease in use of medications can serve as a proxy for clinical improvement.

The aDCSI without the inclusion of laboratory data performs similarly to the DCSI with laboratory results, and is a good measure of diabetes severity.

The Diabetes Complications Severity Index without laboratory test results is a good measure of diabetes severity, given its ability to explain costs.