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.

Study: More Docs Limit Sales Rep Access

via Daily Advantage from PharmaLive.com

"A new study is reporting that in another setback to field sales groups, there's a clear trend that more physicians are requiring appointments from reps or limiting their access altogether. Between June and December 2008, the percentage of physicians who require appointments advanced from 31.4 percent to 38.5 percent. Also, the percentage of physicians who forbid sales-rep access altogether rose from 22.3 percent to 23.6 percent, the study says."

Over 75% of physicians still meet with sales representatives. Even though over 70% of prescriptions should be for generic medications nearly 100% of the samples and "comparative" drug information come from brand-name drug representatives. Physicians want and will use good information, but it must meet a few criteria:

• Trusted information: "fair & balanced" information focusing on total health care & societal costs; "what would I do for someone I loved who was living on a tight budget?"
  
• High utility: Their time is money, so send concise information targeted to their prescribing patterns; do not blast all information to everyone
• Peer comparisons: I was initially surprised when nearly all physicians to whom I sent information requested that I add a comparison to their specialty peers; it seems that these comparisons help ensure them that any changes in prescribing habits would be the right thing to do, it helps validate the information we provide

My question to you: who would be the most trusted source of comparative drug information?