Journal of managed care pharmacy : JMCP
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Health plans may achieve cost savings by limiting the daily average consumption (DACON) of certain medications and encouraging members and prescribers to select lower cost dosing options. Various strengths of a given medication may be similarly priced per unit; therefore, a single unit of a higher-strength medication may cost less than multiple lower-strength units that provide the same dose. For instance, a single 10 mg tablet may cost less than two 5 mg tablets. ⋯ Implementing DACON limits on selected medications provided a cost avoidance of approximately $720,000 over a 3-month period with limited interruption to patient access and relatively low administrative burden. This reduction could result in annualized savings of nearly $3 million.
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The International Continence Society (ICS) identifies several urinary incontinence (UI) subtypes: urgency urinary incontinence (UUI), stress UI (SUI), and mixed UI (MUI). UUI is a common symptom of overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome. Based on the current ICS definition of OAB, all patients with UUI have OAB, whereas not all patients with OAB have UUI. Because UUI is a chronic condition that is expected to increase in prevalence as the population of elderly individuals grows, it is important to understand its economic burden on society and patients and its cost components. ⋯ UUI in the United States is associated with a substantial economic burden from both a societal and patient perspective. Studies evaluating the impact of interventions that reduce the frequency of UUI episodes on the overall economic burden of UUI are warranted.
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The third leading cause of cardiovascular-associated death, venous thromboembolism (VTE), represents a significant health care and economic burden. Although the burden of a one-time VTE event has been assessed, there are limited data regarding the burden of VTE recurrence. ⋯ VTE recurrence associated with a hospitalization or ER visit is associated with substantial health care resource utilization, which is primarily inpatient care undergone within the first 30 days following an initial VTE event. Thus, a sizeable portion of the economic burden of recurrent VTE is also incurred during this short period of time following an initial VTE event. Given that rates of VTE recurrence were high among patients identified as having received anticoagulant treatment, strategies to improve anticoagulation therapy among VTE patients in addition to other preventative measures are needed to lessen the health care and economic burdens of VTE.
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Traditional education about hemophilia B in hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) and episodic contact with HTCs limit the amount of education patients and their caregivers receive. Specialty care providers have frequent, continuing contact with patients. Each contact with a specialty care provider (e.g., coordinating a refill or addressing a patient inquiry) is another opportunity to support patient self-management of the disease and to give counsel on appropriate medication administration. The role of specialty pharmacy in improving patient self-management and supporting medication management and adherence is well established and reported with rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and renal transplant. With hemophilia, specialty pharmacies can support educational reinforcement of HTCs as well as support patient self-management and education of medication therapy. Utilization of patient education materials and programs can facilitate such a role. BE EMPOWERED, a specialty pharmacy education program for hemophilia B patients, is a multimodule education program coupled with frequent telephonic outreach. ⋯ Completion of the BE EMPOWERED program was associated with a decrease in total bleeds and in joint bleeds in adults and with increased RICE utilization in children, as reported by caregivers. QoL scores were lower in adults compared with children, and further research is warranted to understand this difference. Future studies may focus on the effect of specialty pharmacy as an educational vehicle with potential cost benefits.
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has greatly accelerated the formation of team-based models of care delivery, primarily accountable care organizations (ACOs) and patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). Many have written about the need to incorporate medication management services into these systems in order to improve care and reduce total health care costs. Two primary ways of doing so have emerged: (1) an embedded model, whereby pharmacists are employed directly by a physician practice, or (2) a "virtual care team" model, whereby a PCMH or ACO develops an arrangement with external pharmacists in community settings to provide coordinated services.