Drug discount cards in an era of higher prescription drug prices: A retrospective population-based study.
J Am Pharm Assoc (2003)
; 59(6): 804-808.e1, 2019.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31422026
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Drug discount programs have emerged as a potential option for patients seeking greater accessibility and affordability. However, there is limited knowledge regarding program utilization and cost savings. The objective of this study was to evaluate medication prescriptions with drug discount card usage and estimate cost savings.DESIGN:
Retrospective study. SETTING ANDPARTICIPANTS:
Using population-based prescription data, the study included patients who filled prescriptions from January 2009 to December 2016 nationwide using NeedyMeds.org drug discount cards. OUTCOMEMEASURES:
We determined the frequency of drug discount card prescriptions (across pharmacy types, pharmacy location, and prescriber specialty), estimated cost savings using the drug discount card (average per drug discount card and total program dollars saved) and evaluated the top prescription drugs by frequency.RESULTS:
A total of 4,638,581 prescriptions with discount cards were identified (79.8% at national, 6.3% at regional, and 12.9% at local pharmacies). Most were filled at urban locations (urban clusters, 88.6%; urbanized areas, 8.4%) and in ZIP codes with lower median household incomes (62.7%). Overall, 3.62 million prescriptions (78.0% of the total) were associated with discounts, resulting in a total savings of $199,183,112 (median cost savings, $17.80 [47.8%] per prescription). Opiates were the most common class of drugs for which discount cards were used.CONCLUSION:
The use of a drug discount program over 8 years resulted in total savings of nearly $200 million (approximately $18 per prescription) compared with the original cost. However, although patients might accrue financial benefit, there is still a lack of price transparency. Additional research is needed to better understand the impact of these programs and to evaluate ways to improve medication access at a reasonable cost to patients.
Texto completo:
1
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Assistência Farmacêutica
/
Custos de Medicamentos
/
Redução de Custos
/
Medicamentos sob Prescrição
Tipo de estudo:
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Observational_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Am Pharm Assoc (2003)
Assunto da revista:
FARMACIA
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article