Patients Curb Prescription Spending

The article is based upon the premise that U.S. pharmacies are reporting fewer filled prescriptions. Many Americans have determined correctly that filling their prescriptions via the Internet from mail-order and foreign outlets is less expensive. Other Americans simply cannot afford the high cost of many medications and are going without or receive sufficient supplies from their physicians. The healthcare...

Healthcare spending is not immune to economic downturns.  Resistant? Relatively.  Immune?  No.

Reduced use of prescriptions is accompanied by an increased number of hospital admissions, recognized for years by physicians active in critical care areas. Particularly in the area of pulmonary care this leads to an almost immediate increase in acute critical care. Intubated pulmonary support is a seriously large part of this increase, occasioned by underutilization of and delayed out-patient...

Given the economic pressures on patients, they are now more likely to ask for generic medications than they were in the past.  Given that there are generic versions of several classes of medications, physicians such as me are more likely to comply with a patient's request for a generic than in the past. Spiraling health care cost necessitate that patients have an economic incentive in making...

While the need for urgent care does not disappear during tough economic times, patients are far more selective about when they consider themselves sick enough to require medical care. With higher copayments, often $25-50, patients think twice before going to a physician for minor complaints--they might try self-care, which often works (even if only because many conditions are self-limited), or they...

if you think we are immune to downturns let me know why Congress just overrule the Bush Veto. They did it because providers were screaming due to the failed government run healthcare system and the downturn in economics of simply being able to get Paid.

The idea that people will always buy prescription and OTC drugs and will go to the physician and dentist, no matter what the economic conditions in the country, is, in my opinion, erroneous.  People's first priorities are getting to work (requiring gas), food, and shelter.  The most money those take, then less left for optional things like going to the doctor. 

TODAY MANY PATIENTS HAS DILEMA TO BUY FOOD OR DRUG               EFECTIVENESS OF GENERIC DRUG ALSO MAIL ORDER OR LOCAL PHARMACY COST

No economic shock to healthcare industry as this is totally recession free and cannot get disturbed due to any upheavel of economic zig zags. The polulation demographics and disease demographics does suggest that the various demands from the community has NOT been properly met thanks to acute shortage of quality beds in hospitals across the asian countries (which constitutes two-third of the world...

Prescription drugs provide the greatest cost-to-benefit ratio  in health-care.  Decreased prescription drug use likely will lead to increasing severity of health problems.  This may lead to increased sales opportunities for helotage related companies but have serious consequences for tax supported health-care systems.

This article is important in that it describes a worrying trend for branded  pharmaceutical companies. As copays for branded products go up and the patients economic status worsens, the use of these drugs will fall. This may be especially true for medications in dermatology, where the perceived need may be less than that for a cardiac drug. The pipelines in dermatology are smaller due to high...

With the economy in recession, whether we are willing to say it or not; with increased cost of food, gas, etc.; what do you expect. Patients are askiing and getting generics. This is on top of most PBM and managed care companies whose P4P includes generic use and stress this to the patient.