Increased Costs of Diabetes Therapy Not Related to Glycemic Control at Three Veterans Affairs Medical Outpatient Clinics

Our goal was to determine whether the type of primary care provider and the site of care influenced pharmaceutical costs and glycemic control at three Veterans Affairs outpatient clinics. Overall, we identified 4,265 veterans who received antihyperglycemic medications during 1997. We found that prescribing patterns, monthly total costs, and glycemic control differed according to hospital site. The primary care provider type and the intensity of treatment were associated with monthly medication costs, monthly total costs, and glycemic control; however, the costs of monthly medications and the total costs were not associated with improved glycemic control.