Doctors Can Help Lower Patient Drug Costs and Achieve Higher Compliance with Prescribed Courses of Treatment
In his recent article available to physicians for CME credit, Dr. Richard J. Sagall made the statement below.
"The
role of the physician is changing. For many patients, we have to go beyond
diagnosing and treating. We have to be cognizant of our patients' financial and
insurance status. If we don't ask patients whether they can afford their
medications and help them obtain affordable medications, then we could be
wasting our time and theirs with ongoing office visits."
As you will read in his article, several sources of aid are provided for physicians to offer assistance. All of these sources require you, as the patient's doctor to take time to personally evaluate the need of the patient, forward your assessment to these sources, and then see that the patient, if they qualify, gets the application completed Many patients will fall through the cracks of these programs. They may make more money than required, be insured or have some resources with which to pay, though not without difficulty. In fact, many of your patients may easily fall into that category. What then? All of these steps mean "time" you must spend that is not going to be billable, or will, through a need to use your office staff. mean incurring expense that may even offset potential revenue. The question you need to ask each patient may then be "Can you afford these prescriptions if I can get a 25% to 40% price discount for you?" Remember, though, that patients who have an insured drug card will not be eligible for those savings except in cases where the prescribed drugs are not on the formulary for their plan. In many, though not all cases, patients will say yes, and applaud you for having the ability to lower their out of pocket cost of getting well. Worry is, as is well known, not a good mindset for recovery.
I don't believe that any program, not even with the best insured program out there, translates into 100% patient compliance. However, in over 5 years of providing free prescription discount services to low income working people, our program has seen increases in compliance rise from below 40% to over 67% in a tested group of approximately 25,000. That is based only on their actually receiving the filled prescriptions, and in no way implies that these drugs were actually taken as prescribed. It does mean that a larger percentage than before the program had what they needed in their possession.
We are all aware of the Stark Act and its prohibition on receiving profits from certain outside programs. But, in no way has it inhibited your ability to "advertise your practice" or give "free services" to your patients. That is the reason our new Medical Practice Free Prescription Card Program was created. We won't buy lunch for your staff, or take your valuable in-office time, but we will help your patients appreciate you more and increase medication compliance among the at risk portion of your patients you identify.
By addressing the issue of affordability with your patients, you will find that more than you would imagine have a need for your assistance.
In closing, I have an anecdote about dentists. In 1992, I did a survey of 250 dentists in private practice. The only question asked was; "What percentage of the local population your serve has dental insurance?" Almost unanimously, the answer came back as between 80% and 90%. Statistics from that period showed that the average was only 20% of population totals. Can you make an estimate of the area you serve, excluding 65 and older, concerning what percentage have insured drug benefits? What we will do is help you be right as much as possible because you offer this "free service" to patients. Take a look at the program and have someone in your office call to set it up for you.
Van Beasy - Director
SEBA / Healthmart America
Medical Practice Free Prescription Card Program Main Page The Prescription Plan Benefits