March/April 2017

Adherence and access to higher-value care can make a big difference in reducing costs for patients and our healthcare system; however, the financial burden of high-deductible health plans and out-of-pocket costs must also be considered.

Patients with multiple chronic conditions are less likely to use generic drugs, even when facing lower co-payments.

A telephonic pharmacist-delivered medication therapy management intervention is an effective method for increasing the utilization of guideline-recommended cardiovascular therapies in high-risk Medicare patients with diabetes.

A controlled trial of a system for rectifying and preventing drug-related problems was conducted to evaluate improvement in the efficiency of resource utilization.

In addition to having a major impact on patient health outcomes, medications can have significant cost implications for all stakeholders; insurers and employers need to work with their pharmacy benefit managers to ensure that the right patients are getting the right medications at the right time.