Prescriber Checkup
The Doctors and Drugs in Medicare Part D
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ALICE KAASA CNP
At A Glance: This Prescriber in 2015
Self-Reported Primary Specialty
Rank: 9 out of 302
Rank: 25 out of 302
How Does This Prescriber Compare to Peers?
In the same specialty and state. Caveats »
this specialty
in Minnesota lower than average
Antipsychotics
This provider prescribed antipsychotics to at least one but fewer than 11 patients who are 65 and older, so Medicare redacted the exact figure. Comparisons are not shown.
Antibiotics
23% of this provider’s 273 patients filled at least one prescription for an antibiotic drug, compared to an average of 19%.
Risky Drugs for Seniors
5% of this provider’s 242 patients 65 and older filled at least one prescription for a potentially inappropriate drug, compared to an average of 7%.
Opioids
11% of this provider’s 273 patients filled at least one prescription for an opioid, compared to an average of 19%.
Brand Name Drugs
17% of this provider’s prescriptions were for brand-name drugs, compared to an average of 19%.
Prescription Price
$59 was the average price of a prescription from this provider, compared to $107 among peers.
Prescriptions per Patient
21 is the average number of prescriptions (including refills) per patient, compared to an average of 9.
How This Provider’s Patients Compare
Doctors often say their patients are sicker or more complex than those of their peers. The measure displayed below, used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, takes into account patients’ characteristics to estimate whether they are expected to have above-average Medicare spending. It considers patients’ age, sex, diagnoses from the past year and other factors. This provider’s score below takes into account all patients.
This Provider's History
A comparison of this provider’s prescribing in Part D since 2012. All years may not be shown if there is insufficient data.
Cost of Claims
$244K
2012
$294K
2013
$357K
2014
$342K
2015
Number of Claims
5,633
2012
5,619
2013
5,762
2014
5,803
2015
This Prescriber's Drugs
The table below list this provider’s drugs, the number of prescriptions and how many went to seniors. Drugs are ranked by volume and compared with the rank for all providers in the same specialty and state. The list below includes only those drugs for which this provider wrote 50 or more prescriptions.
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An opioid drug. More » Prescription opioids (painkillers) can help alleviate certain kinds of pain in the short term but carry serious health risks.
An antibiotic drug. More » Used to treat bacterial infections but are often prescribed incorrectly to treat viral infections, such as chest colds or the flu.
An antipsychotic drug. More » Antipsychotics are frequently given to dementia patients, though it increases their risk of death.
A risky drug for seniors. More » The American Geriatrics Society has said this drug is "potentially dangerous" for seniors and might be inappropriate.
This provider is among the top 10 prescribers of this drug in the country.
This provider’s prescriptions for this drug were for more days than those of peers. More » Because of this, his or her prescription count may be lower.
This provider’s prescriptions for this drug were for fewer days than those of peers. More » Because of this, his or her prescription count may be higher.
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This Drug's Rank
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Name | Total Prescriptions Filled with Refills |
Prescriptions to 65+ |
Patients Receiving this Drug | Category | For this Prescriber | For this Prescriber's Peers |
|
SIMVASTATIN
Treats high cholesterol and... + Treats high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Source: National Library of Medicine |
352
prescriptions, 6% of all prescriptions |
328
prescriptions. |
77
patients, 28% of all patients |
1 | 4 | |
|
LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM
Levothyroxine, a thyroid ho... + Levothyroxine, a thyroid hormone, is used to treat hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Source: National Library of Medicine |
269
prescriptions, 5% of all prescriptions |
225
prescriptions. |
56
patients, 21% of all patients |
2 | 1 | |
|
OMEPRAZOLE
Treats heartburn, stomach u... + Treats heartburn, stomach ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and conditions that cause your stomach to make too much acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, endocrine tumors, and systemic mastocytosis. Source: National Library of Medicine |
264
prescriptions, 5% of all prescriptions |
192
prescriptions. |
47
patients, 17% of all patients |
3 | 3 | |
|
METOPROLOL TARTRATE
Metoprolol is used alone or... + Metoprolol is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
225
prescriptions, 4% of all prescriptions |
220
prescriptions. |
46
patients, 17% of all patients |
4 | 12 | |
|
LISINOPRIL
Treats high blood pressure ... + Treats high blood pressure and heart failure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
202
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
184
prescriptions. |
59
patients, 22% of all patients |
5 | 2 | |
|
HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE
Used alone or together with... + Used alone or together with other medicines to treat high blood pressure and fluid retention (edema). Source: National Library of Medicine |
167
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
162
prescriptions. |
43
patients, 16% of all patients |
6 | 13 | |
|
METFORMIN HCL
Metformin is used alone or ... + Metformin is used alone or with other medications, including insulin, to treat type 2 diabetes (condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood). Source: National Library of Medicine |
164
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
145
prescriptions. |
32
patients, 12% of all patients |
7 | 16 | |
|
ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM
Treats high cholesterol and... + Treats high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Source: National Library of Medicine |
158
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
153
prescriptions. |
36
patients, 13% of all patients |
8 | 6 | |
|
AMLODIPINE BESYLATE
Amlodipine is used alone or... + Amlodipine is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure and chest pain (angina). Source: National Library of Medicine |
147
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
142
prescriptions. |
35
patients, 13% of all patients |
9 | 8 | |
|
WARFARIN SODIUM
Warfarin is used to prevent... + Warfarin is used to prevent blood clots from forming or growing larger in your blood and blood vessels. Source: National Library of Medicine |
118
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
113
prescriptions. |
34
patients, 12% of all patients |
10 | 7 | |
|
ATENOLOL
Treats high blood pressure ... + Treats high blood pressure and angina (chest pain). Source: National Library of Medicine |
116
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
111
prescriptions. |
27
patients, 10% of all patients |
11 | 20 | |
|
FUROSEMIDE
Treats fluid retention (ede... + Treats fluid retention (edema) and high blood pressure (hypertension). Source: National Library of Medicine |
115
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
115
prescriptions. |
25
patients, 9% of all patients |
12 | 5 | |
|
GABAPENTIN
Treats certain types of sei... + Treats certain types of seizures. Source: National Library of Medicine |
93
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
51
prescriptions. |
18
patients, 7% of all patients |
13 | 9 | |
|
ALENDRONATE SODIUM
Alendronate is used to trea... + Alendronate is used to treat and prevent osteoporosis (a condition in which the bones become thin and weak and break easily) in women who have undergone menopause (''change of life,'' end of menstrual periods) and to treat osteoporosis in men. Source: National Library of Medicine |
84
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
79
prescriptions. |
17
patients, 6% of all patients |
14 | 53 | |
|
METFORMIN HCL ER
Metformin is used alone or ... + Metformin is used alone or with other medications, including insulin, to treat type 2 diabetes (condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood). Source: National Library of Medicine |
83
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
83
prescriptions. |
19
patients, 7% of all patients |
15 | 55 | |
|
METOPROLOL SUCCINATE
Metoprolol is used alone or... + Metoprolol is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
80
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
75
prescriptions. |
22
patients, 8% of all patients |
16 | 11 | |
|
PRAVASTATIN SODIUM
Pravastatin is used with di... + Pravastatin is used with diet, weight-loss, and exercise to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke and to decrease the chance that heart surgery will be needed in people who have heart disease or who are at risk of developing heart disease. Source: National Library of Medicine |
73
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
68
prescriptions. |
21
patients, 8% of all patients |
17 | 32 | |
|
LOSARTAN POTASSIUM
Losartan is used alone or i... + Losartan is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
71
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
71
prescriptions. |
15
patients, 5% of all patients |
18 | 18 | |
|
TRAZODONE HCL
Trazodone is used to treat ... + Trazodone is used to treat depression. Source: National Library of Medicine |
62
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
43
prescriptions. |
<11 | 19 | 23 | |
|
GLIMEPIRIDE
Treats type 2 diabetes. Use... + Treats type 2 diabetes. Source: National Library of Medicine |
60
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
60
prescriptions. |
12
patients, 4% of all patients |
20 | 105 | |
|
FLUTICASONE PROPIONATE
Treats stuffy nose caused b... + Treats stuffy nose caused by hay fever and other allergies. Source: National Library of Medicine |
54
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
49
prescriptions. |
19
patients, 7% of all patients |
21 | 38 | |
|
TAMSULOSIN HCL
Tamsulosin is used in men t... + Tamsulosin is used in men to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH) which include difficulty urinating (hesitation, dribbling, weak stream, and incomplete bladder emptying), painful urination, and urinary frequency and urgency. Source: National Library of Medicine |
53
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
53
prescriptions. |
19
patients, 7% of all patients |
22 | 49 | |
|
ADVAIR DISKUS
Prevents symptoms of asthma... + Prevents symptoms of asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Source: National Library of Medicine |
50
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
45
prescriptions. |
<11 | 23 | 69 | |
|
LANTUS SOLOSTAR
Treats diabetes mellitus. I... + Treats diabetes mellitus. Source: National Library of Medicine |
50
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
50
prescriptions. |
<11 | 23 | 39 | |
About This Data
Prescribing data from Medicare’s prescription drug benefit, known as Part D, was compiled and released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that oversees the program. The data for 2015 includes more than 1.4 billion prescriptions written by nearly 1.4 million doctors, nurses and other providers. This database lists about 447,000 of those providers who wrote 50 or more prescriptions for at least one drug that year. More than three-fourths of these prescriptions went to patients 65 and older; the rest were for disabled patients. Methodology »
Incorrect Info?
If you are a provider and you believe your address is incorrect, check the listing you created on the National Provider Identifier registry. If you change your listing, send a note to [email protected] and we will update your information. If you have other questions about this data, send a note to [email protected].
Caveats
- No comparisons are shown if there are fewer than 20 prescribers in the state share this specialty.
- Comparisons do not take into account the medical conditions of patients. Medications for certain conditions do not have generic alternatives, so patients would receive more expensive brand name drugs.
- This provider's address and specialty information was last updated on July 8, 2007.
- Comparisons are based on each provider’s current address, not necessarily where he or she worked during the time period covered in this database.
- In rare circumstances, providers' prescription tallies may be inflated. Sometimes providers are credited with prescriptions written by colleagues (this happens in long-term care facilities) or are victims of fraud involving theft of their provider number.