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Results for “Formularies as Topic”

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At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Incorporating quality of life data into managed care formulary decisions: a case study with salmeterol.

Pharmacy and Therapeutics committees of managed care organizations have traditionally developed formularies by limiting the numbers and kinds of pharmaceuticals they purchase, with the goal of cutting costs. These attempts to manage pharmaceutical costs do not take into account the interrelationship of the costs of various components of care; thus, drug costs may decrease, but expenditures for utilization of other resources may increase. Cost-minimization and basic cost-effectiveness studies, on which many prior- authorization and formulary programs are based, only evaluate only the cost of the drug and its effectiveness. However, with the heightened competition in the healthcare market, emphasis is increasingly being laid on patient satisfaction and outcomes. Cost-utility analysis is a potentially superior pharmacoeconomic tool because it evaluate the effect of drug therapy on quality of life; however, data from such analyses are seldom readily available to the committees that evaluate a drug's potential effects on the entire healthcare system. The purpose of this review is to stress the importance of approaching formulary management from a wider perspective and to emphasize that the results of cost-utility studies should be proactively evaluated and incorporated into decisions regarding formularies. This is especially important for symptom-intensive diseases, such as asthma, in which the quality of life can be notably impaired. Cost-utility analyses should be conducted for all newer therapies, such as salmeterol, which are highly effective and which have a positive impact on quality of life, to determine the overall effect on the managed care plan's budget.

Albuterol↗
PubMed1997

Looking beyond the formulary budget in cost-benefit analysis.

With the introduction of newer, more expensive psychotropic medications, healthcare providers and managed care administrators must consider whether these drugs offer "value for the money." A true picture of the benefits of these drugs emerges only when all the costs of treatment are considered. Focusing exclusively on the acquisition cost of the drug can result in a misleading impression of the drug's worth. Although the medication costs associated with treating a patient with a newer drug increase, use of these agents may actually result in an overall decrease in healthcare costs, through reductions in hospitalization and length of stay, use of mental health services, and prescriptions for adjunctive drugs. In one study of the newer antipsychotic agent risperidone, the overall annual costs of treating a patient with schizophrenia were reduced by nearly $8,000 (Canadian dollars), even though medication costs increased by approximately $1,200 (Canadian dollars). Retrospective and prospective pharmacoeconomic studies can provide valuable data on the cost effectiveness of treatment with newer psychotropic medications.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1998

Will pharmacy costs overwhelm medical networks?

A crisis looms as medical networks, already reeling from ongoing drug cost increases, face the Viagra crisis and anticipate the release of whole groups of expensive new therapeutics on the market.

Community Networks↗
PubMed1998

Formulary limitations and the elderly: results from the Managed Care Outcomes Project.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether restrictive formularies are associated with differences in healthcare resource utilization, including number of office visits, prescriptions, and hospitalizations, and whether this association varies by age. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, longitudinal study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients enrolled in one of six health maintenance organizations in six different states, three in the eastern and three in the western United States, were eligible for the study. Data from between 1309 and 3938 patients were available for analysis for each of the five diseases studied, for a total of 12,997 patients across all study diseases. Healthcare utilization by patients in the study included more than 99,000 office visits, 1000 hospitalizations, and 240,000 prescriptions. We used severity-adjusted prescription counts, prescription costs, office visit counts, and measures of inpatient hospital utilization to assess the effects of formulary limitations. RESULTS: We found positive, significant associations between the independent variable formulary limitations in drug class and the dependent variables measuring resource utilization. These associations were sometimes significantly greater for elderly patients after controlling for severity of illness and other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Common strategies for decreasing drug expenditures may be associated with higher severity-adjusted resource utilization. In specific areas, this association is more pronounced in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Atypical antipsychotics and formulary decisions.

Although drug costs are a small fraction of the total direct costs of treating schizophrenia, managed care has focused on drug acquisition costs as an area of concern. There is pressure to demonstrate by outcome measures that the increased cost of the newer atypical antipsychotics versus traditional neuroleptics is justified. Decision makers want to be convinced that newer, more expensive treatment translates to value. Evidence accumulated to date suggests that the atypical agents are cost-effective. Studies show patients taking atypical antipsychotics have an improved quality of life, are more easily rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community, return to full- or part-time work more often, and prefer the newer agents to conventional antipsychotics. These benefits have been shown in studies of olanzapine versus haloperidol. Just as important, patients taking atypical antipsychotics show decreased medical care resource utilization, which results in cost savings.

Antipsychotic Agents↗