Medication Costs Infrequently Addressed When Newly Prescribed
According to a UCLA study that will appear in the November issue of The American Journal of Managed Care, only one third of patients receiving new medication prescriptions are given information about costs or the opportunity to discuss obtaining the medications by their physicians despite the importance of costs to adherence.
185 patients were studied through surveys and transcriptions of patient visits. They were seen by 15 different family physicians, 18 internists, and 11 cardiologists. The patients averaged 55 years old; half were male, 83 percent were white, most had health insurance, and more than three-fourths paid less than half of their prescription drug costs out-of-pocket.
Commentary
This finding is hardly surprising but nonetheless disheartening. Cost is one of the many elements that must be addressed with every patient if adherence rates are to be improved.