Physician Strategies to Reduce Patients’ Out-of-pocket Prescription Costs

How to reduce out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications.

The cost of prescription medicines has recently been rising faster than other healthcare costs.  This is also true for traditionally inexpensive generic medications that have long served as a fundamental healthcare safety net in the USA.  These changes increasingly present challenges for individuals to obtain common medications.  Owing to rising insurance co-pays, even patients who have prescri...

Six strategies to identify and assist patients burdened by out-of-pocket prescription costs.

Many patients find that their out-of-pocket costs of medications are burdensome. Physicians can help, first by remembering to ask about the problem, and then by applying simple strategies to limit the patient's costs.

Patient-physician communication about out-of-pocket costs.

CONTEXT Out-of-pocket costs account for approximately one fifth of health care expenditures and are increasing. Previous research suggests that these costs are associated with medication nonadherence and considerable economic burden among some patients. Little is known about patient-physician communication regarding these costs. OBJECTIVE To identify patients' and physicians' beliefs and prac...

Strategies used by adults to reduce their prescription drug costs.

In 2011, Americans spent $45 billion out-of-pocket on retail prescription drugs (1). Some adults reduce prescription drug costs by skipping doses and delaying filling prescriptions (2). Some cost-reduction strategies used by adults have been associated with negative health outcomes. For example, adults who do not take prescription medication as prescribed have been shown to have poorer health s...

Out-of-pocket health care costs.