Variation in antidiabetic medication intensity among medicare beneficiaries with diabetes mellitus

Conclusions: This national study found that high-cost Medicare beneficiaries with DM received substantially less intensive antidiabetic regimens compared with those incurring more modest medical expenditures in 2002. Longitudinal analysis is necessary to determine whether this finding indicates suboptimal therapy or has a more benign explanation. However, the magnitude of the association warrants the attention of clinicians who treat elderly and disabled diabetic patients with high disease burden.