Hospitals on average are charging patients and payers twice the price specialty pharmacies charge for the same drugs, according to a Feb. 16 report from America's Health Insurance Plans.
The report studied three years of data from 10 drugs that could be administered both in a hospital setting and through a specialty pharmacy via a provider.
Five takeaways:
1. On average, a single treatment for hospital-administered drugs cost $7,000 more than those purchased from a specialty pharmacy.
2. The average drug from a hospital cost twice as much on average than a drug purchased through a specialty pharmacy.
3. Comparatively, drugs administered in a physician's office cost at least $1,400 on average.
4. However, prices of drugs administered by a physician still cost 22 percent more than those purchased through a specialty pharmacy.
5. Matt Eyles, CEO and president of AHIP, said that the study sends a clear message to payers: direct drug delivery through specialty pharmacies is a competitive way to keep prices down for patients and insurers.