10.Conclusion: High-Value Prescribing

MODULE 6 | Section 10 of 10

Conclusion: High-Value Prescribing

MODULE 6 SUMMARY

Out-of-pocket medication costs place a substantial financial burden on many patients and lead some to pursue measures for cost savings including non-adherence to recommended medications. Clinicians can ask simple questions to screen patients for financial burdens associated with their medications and can use a number of strategies, such as using equivalent generic medications, to yield significant cost savings for patients. Clinicians can also follow conservative prescribing practices that help minimize unnecessary costs and harms from medications.

MODULE 6 SECTION SUMMARIES

SECTION 2

Patients are often unaware that costly medications often have lower-priced alternatives, leading them to pay more than they may need to pay.

SECTION 3

Patients who are unable to afford prescriptions often take unhealthy risks to lower costs, such as skipping or self-lowering doses and delaying refills. Many patients wish they could have discussions about cost with their prescriber.

SECTION 4

High-value prescribing decreases cost, complexity, or medication risk. Ideally, it addresses all three issues.

SECTION 5

This section described the principles of conservative, high-value prescribing with accompanying, implementable strategies.

SECTION 6

Since patients want to discuss medication costs but are hesitant to do so, prescribers need to be prepared to initiate these discussions. We discussed strategies for beginning cost conversations with patients about medication costs.

SECTION 7

We defined and described the strategies for reducing patients’ medication costs using the “GOT MeDS” mnemonic (generics/order in bulk/therapeutic alternatives/medication review/discount drugs/splitting pills).

SECTION 8

Kaiser Permanente of Northern California (KPNC) has prioritized improving medication adherence in order to achieve better outcomes with hypertension patients. Through strategies to decrease medication costs, among others, KPNC has seen blood pressure control increase precipitously with decreased rates of heart attacks and death from strokes.

SECTION 9

We applied the strategies learned over the course of this module to lower the medication cost burden for a hypothetical patient.

Learn More

VIDEO MODULE

GOT MeDS: Having Value Conversations with Patients About Medication Costs

The Costs of Care Value Conversation Series presents these freely available video modules helping clinicians learn to screen patients for potential cost-related issues. Free CME credit available!

Vineet A, Reshma G, Moriates C, et al. The Doctor’s Channel.

ARTICAL

Patient Education: reducing the costs of medicines (Beyond the Basics)

This article provides patient information and resources so patients can educate themselves on lowering their prescription drug costs. May be useful both for clinician use as well as to provide patients.

Zand JM, Briesacher B. Patient Education: Reducing the Costs of Medicines (Beyond the Basics). UpToDate website.