Cost-related delay in filling prescriptions and health care ratings among medicare advantage recipients

Evergreening of Psychiatric Medications: A Systemic Literature Review of Strategies, Case Examples, and the Implications of Cost

Evergreening consists of multiple ways that pharmaceutical companies extend patent protection and prolong profitability of brand name drugs past patent expiration. In psychotropic medications, these strategies do not necessarily make more effective drugs, and often increase drug prices, which can result in lower access and utilization. There has not been a systematic literature review of evergreening strategies for psychiatric medications. Based on such a review, 11 strategies were identified and relevant examples were provided. Four case examples of commonly used psychiatric medications indicated evergreen prices 3 to 211 times the cost of the original medication, and the evergreen costs ranging from $132.00 to $10,125.24 higher than the original cost on an annual basis. The higher cost of evergreening medications can create inefficiencies and waste in healthcare resulting in lower-quality patient care. Healthcare providers, patient advocates, health insurance companies, and policy-makers should be aware of these practices to improve healthcare systems.

Risk and Protective Factors for Cost-Related Nonadherence Among Middle East and North African (MENA) Adults

OBJECTIVE

Cost-related nonadherence to health maintenance behaviors is common in the general population, yet we know little about these behaviors in Middle East and North African (MENA) Americans. We examined cost-related nonadherence (CRN) in the MENA community in SE Michigan to determine demographic predictors, and risk and protective factors.

DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We used data from a cross-sectional convenience sample of MENA adults (N=398) conducted May-September 2019 to identify relevant demographic predictors, as well as the association between individual health, social, and clinical factors and the likelihood of reporting CRN.

METHODS AND MEASURES

CRN was defined by whether respondents reported any of the following: that they took less medicine, skipped doses, or delayed getting a prescription filled. Other factors included patient/provider communication and racial concordance, mental health distress, food insecurity and insurance status. We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine association of these health and social factors with CRN.

RESULTS

Those with highest incomes were least likely to report CRN. Participants with private insurance and with no coverage were more likely to report CRN compared with those with Medicaid coverage. Risk factors for CRN included food insecurity and mental health distress, though strong patient/provider communication was protective of CRN.

DISCUSSION

The risk factors for CRN in the MENA community align with risk factors in the general population. As provider communication is protective of CRN, interventions focused on improving patient/provider communication may serve as a way to protect against financially motivated medication nonadherence.

A Scoping Review of Behavioral Interventions Addressing Medical Financial Hardship

Little information has been compiled across studies about existing interventions to mitigate issues of medical financial hardship, despite growing interest in health care delivery. The purpose of this qualitative systematic scoping review was to examine content and outcomes of interventions to address medical financial hardship. PRISMA guidelines were applied to present results using PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL, published between January 1980 and August 2020. Additional studies were identified through reference lists of selected papers. Included studies focused on mitigating medical financial hardship from out-of-pocket (OOP) health care expenses as an intervention strategy with at least 1 evaluation component. Screening 2412 articles identified 339 articles for full-text review, 12 of which met inclusion criteria. Variation was found regarding targets and outcome measurement of intervention. Primary outcomes were in the following categories: financial outcomes (eg, OOP expenses), behavioral outcomes, psychosocial, health care utilization, and health status. No included studies reported significant reduction in OOP expenses, perceptions of financial burden/toxicity, or health status. However, changes were observed for behavioral outcomes (adherence to treatment, patient needs addressed), some psychosocial outcomes (mental health symptoms, perceived support, patient satisfaction), and care utilization such as routine health care. No patterns were observed in the achievement of outcomes across studies based on intensity of intervention. Few rigorous studies exist in this emerging field, and studies have not shown consistent positive effects. Future research should focus on conceptual clarity of the intervention, align outcome measurement and achieve consensus around outcomes, and employ rigorous study designs, measurement, and outcome follow-up.