Tools that allow providers to see prescription cost estimates at the time of prescribing did not have any effect on cost, a study published July 3 in JAMA Network Open found.
The cohort study included 2.8 million Medicare Advantage beneficiaries at a national insurer. Researchers compared differences in prescription drug spending and fills in the year after practices adopted a real time prescription benefit drug tool.
Here are three things to know:
- The researchers found no significant difference between out-of-pocket spending or total prescription costs per beneficiary after their providers implemented real-time prescription benefit tools.
- Real-time prescription benefit tools did not increase the number of prescriptions filled via mail-order.
- The design of real-time prescription benefit tools with electronic health records may have discouraged clinicians from using the option, the researchers wrote. The tool in the study required clinicians to click a dropdown box to view cost information and alternatives.
The findings “highlight the importance of leveraging the design of price transparency tools like [real-time prescription benefits] to reduce barriers to accessing the information,” the authors concluded.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Boston-based Harvard Medical School and Humana.
Read the full report here.
