Drugs

The HEADSSS assessment is an internationally recognised tool used to structure the assessment of an adolescent patient, encompassing Home, Education/Employment, Activities, Drugs, Sex and relationships, Self harm and depression, Safety and abuse. The assessment starts with simple and easy questions about life to allow a rapport to be built, before delving into more personal and embarrassing aspects.

The assessment does not necessarily have to be completed in one sitting, it may take multiple conversations to build up the trust for the young person to disclose such personal information to you. Once a HEADSSS assessment is completed, it is important to document your findings in the notes and communicate appropriate information to other members of the healthcare team. Follow through on any offers of help or support you have made.

If concerns about the young person’s safety have been raised, you must explain to them that you need to pass that information on to the relevant agency. Reassure them that the main priority is their safety and establish what they will do in the meantime to help keep themselves safe.

Author/s:

Dr Nicola Martin, Dr Louise Ingram, Adam Bonfield

Strategies to Help Patients Navigate High Prescription Drug Costs

Alex Haga — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 20:33:42 +0000

Date Added:

December 8, 2024

Journal/Publication:

JAMA

Publication Date:

October 21, 2024

URL:

Strategies to Help Patients Navigate High Prescription Drug Costs

Type:

Practice Management Reviews and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jama.2024.17275

Keywords

health care costs

costs

prescriptions

PMID (1):

39432312

MeSH

Pharmaceutical Services / economics

Prescription Fees*

Guidance regarding how practices can help patients reduce their medication costs. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Importance In the US, many patients struggle to afford prescription drugs, leading to adverse health outcomes. To improve cost-related medication nonadherence, prescribers and clinical staff must understand how to assist patients in overcoming high prescription drug costs.

Observations We reviewed the benefits and limitations of 7 strategies to help patients afford prescription drugs: co-payment cards, patient assistance programs, pharmacy coupons, direct-to-consumer pharmacies, public assistance programs, international online pharmacies, and real-time prescription benefit tools. We created an algorithm to help clinicians identify appropriate strategies based on a patient’s health insurance and the type of drug (brand-name vs generic). For example, co-payment cards can lower out-of-pocket costs for privately insured patients taking brand-name prescription drugs. For uninsured individuals or those with public insurance like Medicare Part D who meet financial eligibility criteria, patient assistance or public assistance programs may be available. All patients, regardless of health insurance, can forgo insurance and purchase drugs directly using pharmacy coupons or direct-to-consumer pharmacies, which sometimes offer lower prices for generic drugs compared to insurance. For insured patients, such purchases do not count toward insurance deductibles or annual out-of-pocket maximums. Online international pharmacies provide a last resort for patients in need of brand-name drugs who lack affordable domestic options. Increasingly, prescribers can use real-time prescription drug benefit tools to estimate patient out-of-pocket costs and identify alternative lower-cost treatments for insured patients, but these tools can be inaccurate or incomplete.

Conclusions and Relevance The current patchwork of strategies to help patients manage high prescription drug costs highlights the structural and policy challenges within the US prescription drug market that impede affordable access for some patients. While these strategies provide tangible solutions for clinicians to help patients access medically appropriate but costly medications, they do not address the root causes of high drug prices.

Author/s:

Hussain S Lalani, Catherine S Hwang, Aaron S Kesselheim, Benjamin N Rome

Strategies to Help Patients Afford Their Medicines in the US

Erin Blanchette — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 14:04:14 +0000

Date Added:

October 28, 2024

Journal/Publication:

JAMA

Publisher:

American Medical Association

Publication Date:

October 21, 2024

URL:

Strategies to Help Patients Afford Their Medicines in the US

Type:

Patient Education Materials

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jama.2024.21143

Keywords

clinical pharmacy and pharmacology

Patient Information

jama Patient Information

Health Care Economics, Insurance, Payment

insurance

PMID (1):

39432270

MeSH

A concise summary for patients about ways to reduce the cost of expensive medications. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Many patients in the US struggle to afford their prescription drugs. The inability to take medications as prescribed can lead to worse health outcomes.

Below are 7 strategies that patients can use to respond to high prescription drug costs in the US.

Author/s:

Kristin L Walter