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Biomedical subjects

E W Lingle

Publications and source records attributed to E W Lingle.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Too many medications, too little money: how do patients cope?

Many individuals with chronic illnesses have multiple medications prescribed that often are not covered by third party payers. In South Carolina, Medicaid pays for only three prescriptions per month per recipient. A qualitative pilot study was conducted to learn how Medicaid recipients with more than three prescriptions decide which ones to have filled under Medicaid and what they do about the remaining medications. Nineteen Medicaid recipients who had more than three prescriptions were interviewed in their homes. Research participants paid for medications out-of-pocket, borrowed money, were extended credit by the pharmacy, got samples from the physician, did not get prescriptions filled or refilled, took medicines less frequently or in lower doses to stretch their supply, and very infrequently took someone else's medication. These individuals decided which medications to take based on: their perceptions of the importance of the medication or the seriousness of the condition for which it was prescribed, current symptoms, and the drug's cost. Some participants had to choose monthly whether to buy medications or food.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Economic impact of cost-containment strategies in third party programmes in the US (part I).

The rising cost of healthcare has strained the resources of governments, private third parties and individuals with responsibility to pay for it. Various strategies have been used in an attempt to control costs. This article examines the economic impact of 4 such strategies: (a) cost sharing; (b) prescription limits; (c) rebates; and (d) cost limits. Cost sharing has been successful at reducing utilisation of prescription drugs, although the effects have not been uniform across therapeutic categories. However, the long term effect on cost and utilisation of other medical services, and the impact on overall health status, remain largely unknown. Some evidence suggests that utilisation of other services may increase. The available data regarding drug rebate programmes have been descriptive in nature. However, the designs employed in this research do not establish a direct causal relationship between rebate programmes and changes in Medicaid drug expenditure. Furthermore, still unknown is the degree of cost shifting and the effect of the rebate programme on other large public and private drug purchasers. The Maximum Allowable Cost programme led to direct savings in drug costs, but the size of these savings was variable and uncertain because of administrative costs of the programme. The Estimated Acquisition Cost programme has not resulted in significant savings.

Cost Control↗
PubMed1992

Health care reform: to be or not to be? Part 2: Where are we heading?

The call for a new national health care system reflects the inability of the current system to provide access for all, control costs, and maintain quality. In Part 1 of this two-part series (September American Pharmacy, p. 28), the authors discussed the forces driving our current system.

Cost Control↗
PubMed1990

Expanding Medicaid drug formulary coverage. Effects on utilization of related services.

Effects on utilization and expenditures occurring concurrently with an expansion of coverage in the South Carolina Medicaid drug formulary were investigated. Data were collected for prescriptions, physician office visits, and outpatient and inpatient hospital visits. Data were evaluated for a cohort of 12,139 individuals who had at least one prescription claim and were continuously eligible for benefits during the two-year study. A repeated measures design was employed to control the differences between subjects. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to detect overall differences in utilization and expenditures. A priori comparisons of means were performed to detect changes in levels and rates of expenditures and utilization for each service. Increases were observed in the number of prescriptions, physician visits, and outpatient visits per person while the number of inpatient hospital admissions declined. Similarly, expenditures increased for all service areas except the inpatient hospital service. The proportion of variance explained by the formulary change was small in all service areas, but would be of practical significance because of the large number of Medicaid recipients affected. From a theoretical perspective, an association of a reduction in inpatient hospital use and expenditures following the elimination of drug formulary restrictions is particularly noteworthy. These findings support the thesis that medical care services should not be viewed in isolation but rather as a system of interrelated activities. Interventions in one portion of the system are mirrored by changes in utilization of other components. Frequently, private and public medical care programs are managed with organizationally distinct benefit budgets, which are controlled independently. In view of the results of this study, this organizational approach may lead to a suboptimal allocation of resources.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

The impact of outpatient drug benefits on the use and costs of health care services for the elderly.

In light of the current debate surrounding the extension of Medicare benefits to cover outpatient drugs, it is important to increase our understanding of the impact of drug payment programs on overall health care outcomes and expenditures. In this retrospective study of health care use among Medicare beneficiaries in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, we studied the impact of New Jersey's Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged (PAA) program on health care costs. Using multiple regression analysis, we found that New Jersey Medicare recipients used, on average, $238.50 less in inpatient hospital care under the PAA program than did their counterparts in eastern Pennsylvania, which did not have a drug payment assistance program in place. Although administrative costs may have reduced overall savings, it seems reasonable to conclude that the PAA program resulted in no overall health care cost increases.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Drug use behavior under the constraints of a Medicaid prescription cap.

Limiting the number of prescriptions reimbursed per month is a cost-containment measure used by state Medicaid programs. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the strategies used by patients who exceed the limits of the cap. Nineteen patients identified by community pharmacists as meeting this criterion were interviewed in their homes by a member of the project team. The sample consisted predominantly of women. Seven of the 19 individuals reported that they had altered the way they took their medication, primarily by reducing the frequency of dosing, to make the medication last longer. Eight individuals reported that, at some time during the past year, they did not obtain a prescribed medication because of the prescription cap. These medications were prescribed for a variety of conditions, including diabetes, asthma, and congestive heart failure. Patients made the purchase/nonpurchase decision based primarily on importance of the condition for which the medication was prescribed. What was deemed important, however, could change over time as a result of changing symptoms. Patients obtained some help from friends, family, and health care professionals in coping with the constraints of the prescription cap. However, the cap forced a significant group of patients into noncompliance, and thus placed them at risk for poor health outcomes.

Adaptation, Psychological↗