OBJECTIVES: Identify the demographic and socioeconomic predictors associated with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients that impact initiation of warfarin versus novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs). METHODS: Patients with at least one prescription for warfarin, apixaban, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban were selected from the national Medicare database (01JAN2013-31DEC2013). The first oral anticoagulant (OAC) claim date was defined as the index date. Members were required to be age ≥65 years, have an atrial fibrillation diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 427.31) and have continuous health plan enrollment for 6 months pre-index date. Members with evidence of mitral valvular heart disease, valve replacement procedures, pregnancy, or OAC claims pre-index date were excluded. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify the covariates that were associated with initiation of apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or warfarin (reference). RESULTS: The study included 567 apixaban, 905 dabigatran, 2,443 rivaroxaban, and 7,136 warfarin patients. Patients aged 75-84 and ≥85 years were less likely to initiate dabigatran (75-84: odds ratio [OR]: 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62-0.84; ≥85: OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.39-0.58) and rivaroxaban (75-84: OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.70-0.87; ≥85: OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.55-0.72). Female patients were more likely to initiate rivaroxaban (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.07-1.30) compared to male patients. Patients with a high socioeconomic status (SES) score were more likely to initiate apixaban (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.06-1.73) compared to those with low SES. Additionally, patients with a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score were less likely to initiate apixaban (OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.84-0.90), dabigatran (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.87-0.92), and rivaroxaban (OR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.91-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Initiation of OACs is dependent on patient demographics and clinical characteristics. Gender, SES score, age, and CCI score are all significant predictors for the initiation of OACs.