Patients Warned on Prescription Switching

via Daily Advantage from PharmaLive.com

"The Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians joined several other organizations in warning against a push by insurers to switch prescriptions written by physicians to less expensive substitutes. "This switch can have unwanted effects for patients, prolonging illnesses, increasing hospitalizations and prompting other health issues," said the group's president. Last December, a bill to stop prescription switching was introduced in the Massachusetts legislature."

More often, these switches can increase quality and lower costs. I remember the ongoing battle we had over Vioxx and our efforts to encourage use of higher value medications. In the end, we had fewer hospitalizations, few deaths and >50% lower drug costs. More and more physicians also realize that unnecessary use of more expensive medications simply make it more difficult to pay for other services and increases pressure on their own reimbursement.

However, I often do not push for switching patients. Since most patient change therapy within a year anyway, you can achieve positive results by promoting the prescribing of higher value medications for new prescriptions.