Term: Pharmaceutical Users, Intermittent High-Cost

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2008-03-11

Definition:

Individuals with high prescription expenditures in one year, and sporadic or intermittent high expenditures in previous years.

For example, individuals for whom annual expenditures for prescription medications exceeded the 95th percentile in year t , but did not exceed the 95th percentile in each of the previous x years.

One of three mutually exclusive categories - Non-High Cost, Intermittent High-Cost and High-Cost Pharmaceutical Users.

Related terms 

• Pharmaceutical User
• Pharmaceutical Users, High-Cost
• Pharmaceutical Users, Non-High Cost

References 

• Kozyrskyj A, Lix L, Dahl M, Soodeen R. High-cost Users of Pharmaceuticals: Who are They? Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2005. [Report] [Summary] (View)