Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Urol Pract. 2024 May;11(3):454-460. doi: 10.1097/UPJ.0000000000000544. Epub 2024 Apr 19.
Patients who seek urologic care have recently reported a high degree of financial toxicity from prescription medications, including management for nephrolithiasis, urinary incontinence, and urological oncology. Estimating out-of-pocket costs can be challenging for urologists in the US because of variable insurance coverage, local pharmacy distributions, and complicated prescription pricing schemes. This article discusses resources that urologists can adopt into their practice and share with patients to help lower out-of-pocket spending for prescription medications.
We identify 4 online tools that are designed to direct patients toward more affordable prescription medication options: the Medicare Part D Plan Finder, GoodRx, Amazon, and the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. A brief historical overview and summary for patients and clinicians are provided for each online resource. A patient-centered framework is provided to help navigate these 4 available tools in clinic.
Among the 4 tools we identify, there are multiples tradeoffs to consider as financial savings and features can vary. First, patients insured by Medicare should explore the Part D Plan Finder each year to compare drug plans. Second, patients who need to urgently refill a prescription at a local pharmacy should visit GoodRx. Third, patients who are prescribed recurrent generic prescriptions for chronic conditions can utilize the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. Finally, patients who are prescribed 3 or more chronic medications can benefit from subscribing to Amazon RxPass.
Prescription medications for urologic conditions can be expensive. This article includes 4 online resources that can help patients access medications at their most affordable costs. Urologists can provide this framework to their patients to help support lowering out-of-pocket drug costs.
最近寻求泌尿科治疗的患者报告称，处方药物带来了很高的经济毒性，包括肾结石、尿失禁和泌尿肿瘤的治疗。由于保险覆盖范围、当地药房分布和复杂的处方定价方案各不相同，美国泌尿科医生很难估算自付费用。本文讨论了泌尿科医生可以在实践中采用并与患者分享的资源，以帮助降低处方药物的自付费用。
我们确定了 4 种旨在引导患者选择更经济实惠的处方药的在线工具：医疗保险部分 D 计划查找器、GoodRx、亚马逊和马克·库班成本加成药品公司。为每个在线资源提供了患者和临床医生的简要历史概述和摘要。提供了一个以患者为中心的框架，以帮助在诊所中使用这 4 种可用工具。
在我们确定的 4 种工具中，财务节省和功能可能会有所不同，因此需要考虑多种权衡。首先，有医疗保险的患者应每年探索部分 D 计划查找器，以比较药物计划。其次，需要在当地药房紧急补充处方药的患者应访问 GoodRx。第三，经常开处方治疗慢性疾病的患者可以使用马克·库班成本加成药品公司。最后，开 3 种或更多慢性药物的患者可以从订阅亚马逊 RxPass 中受益。
治疗泌尿科疾病的处方药物可能很昂贵。本文包括 4 种在线资源，可以帮助患者以最实惠的价格获得药物。泌尿科医生可以为患者提供这个框架，以帮助降低自付药物费用。
