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- Title
Can physician education lower the cost of prescription drugs? A prospective, controlled trial.
- Authors
Frazier, Linda M.; Brown, J. Trig; Divine, George W.; Fleming, Gayle R.; Philips, Nancy M.; Siegal, William C.; Khayrallah, Moise A.; Frazier, L M; Brown, J T; Divine, G W; Fleming, G R; Philips, N M; Siegal, W C; Khayrallah, M A
- Abstract
<bold>Objective: </bold>To determine whether an educational program featuring a drug cost manual can assist physicians in reducing their patients' out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses.<bold>Design: </bold>Prospective controlled trial.<bold>Setting: </bold>A general internal medicine-teaching clinic in a university hospital.<bold>Participants: </bold>Fifty-one medical interns.<bold>Intervention: </bold>Thirty-one interns received a manual of comparative drug prices annotated with prescribing advice, two feedback reports, and weekly cost-oriented prescribing reminders. A control group concurrently participated in a manual-based educational program on cholesterol management.<bold>Measurements: </bold>Copies of 3012 prescriptions written over 8 months were analyzed.<bold>Main Results: </bold>Intervention group physicians prescribed less expensive drugs within classes of drugs. The change in drug price score per prescription was -0.15 (95% Cl, -0.27 to -0.04; P = 0.01). A score of 3 was assigned to the most expensive, 2 was assigned to intermediate-priced, and 1 was assigned to the least expensive drug or drugs in the class. An increase of 0.74 months' (Cl, 0.49 to 0.98; P less than 0.001) supply of medication was dispensed per prescription, reducing dispensing fees. The program was well accepted by the physicians.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>This relatively simple educational intervention can help physicians to reduce their patients' drug expenses and may serve as a model for incorporating cost information into the routine practice of medicine.
- Subjects
NORTH Carolina; DRUG prices; DRUG prescribing; MEDICAL care costs; MEDICAL care cost control; COMPARATIVE studies; COST control; EDUCATIONAL tests &; measurements; HEALTH attitudes; OUTPATIENT services in hospitals; INTERNSHIP programs; LONGITUDINAL method; RESEARCH methodology; MEDICAL cooperation; MEDICAL education; MEDICAL prescriptions; RESEARCH; TEACHING aids; EVALUATION research; EVALUATION of human services programs
- Publication
Annals of Internal Medicine, 1991, Vol 115, Issue 2, p116
- ISSN
0003-4819
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.7326/0003-4819-115-2-116