Nixing co-payments for heart drugs may improve patient adherence and outcomes
Heart patients who are concerned about the cost of their medications can visit a Canadian internet pharmacy, where they can buy Canadian Lipitor and other drugs at a discount.
Heart patients who are concerned about the cost of their medications can visit a Canadian internet pharmacy, where they can buy Canadian Lipitor and other drugs at a discount. The financial burden of such treatments can influence how well individuals comply with their doctors' orders. New research from Brigham and Women's Hospital suggests that getting rid of co-payments for drugs prescribed after a heart attack may boost patient adherence and improve health.
Scientists conducted a study in which two groups of patients who had heart attacks, consisting of about 3,000 individuals each, were assigned to different insurance plans. While one group's plan included total drug coverage, the other required cost-sharing. Heart medications included statins, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers.
The researchers tracked measurements for medication adherence, non-fatal heart attacks and other cardiac events.
Results showed that patients who didn't have to make co-payments were more inclined to use their medications, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"While the elimination of cost sharing did not significantly alter the trial's primary end-point, which included revascularizations along with vascular events, the intervention was successful in reducing rates of important clinical outcomes, lowering the amount that patients spent on medications and other non-drug health services, and did not increase overall health care costs," said researcher Niteesh Choudhry, M.D., Ph.D.
Further research is needed to discern other cost-effective ways to improve patient compliance with medication instructions.
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