OBJECTIVES: Two types of oral anticoagulants (OACs) are currently available in the market, traditional vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulants (warfarin) and the newer OACs which are non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs).  Current NOACs include apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and edoxoban tosylate. In cases of abnormal bleeding, Vitamin-K is used as an antidote for warfarin. Currently no antidote for NOACs exists. This study examined all-cause and bleeding-event related resource utilization (office visits, emergency department [ED] visits, and hospital admissions) among patients on OAC therapy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using Mississippi Medicaid pharmacy and medical claims data from January 2014 to November 2015. Beneficiaries who had a prescription for an OAC during the observation period were included in the study. Resource utilization was classified as OAC-related if the medical claim included a diagnosis code for a bleeding event. The analysis was performed for each drug strength, except for warfarin, since specific strengths of the drugs are used for different indications. RESULTS: A total of 3,551 patients were identified as taking OACs during the study period -- 2,823 on warfarin, 567 on rivaroxaban, 107 on apixaban, and 54 on dabigatran. The percentages of patients with bleeding related ED visits were 13.3% for warfarin, 2.6% for rivaroxaban 10mg, 11.1% for rivaroxaban 15-20mg, 9.7% for apixaban 5mg, and 4.3% for dabigatran 150mg.  Rates for bleeding related hospital admissions ranged from 3.4% for rivaroxaban 10mg to 7.5% for apixaban 5mg. CONCLUSIONS: Rates for bleeding related ED visits are lower for NOACs than for warfarin. Higher doses of rivaroxaban were related to increased risk of bleeding related ED visits, but other conclusive comparisons between NOACs could not be made due to the limited number of patients on most of the medications.