Medicare Does Not Free Some Seniors from Need to
Skip High Priced Heart Drugs
Cost of heart drugs makes patients skip pills,
putting themselves at risk, says Mayo Clinic study
March 30, 2011 - For more than 5 million Americans
with heart failure, a critical step to better health is taking the
medications they're prescribed. But many patients, including senior
citizens on Medicare, fail to do so, putting themselves at greater risk
of hospitalization and even death. In a study appearing in the April
issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic researchers found
the drugs' cost is one of the biggest deterrents.
"We found patients weren't filling their
prescriptions because of the expense," says Shannon Dunlay, M.D., Mayo
Clinic cardiologist and lead author.
The study recruited patients from Olmsted County,
Minn., and tracked their pharmacy records. Previous studies looked only
at electronic prescription claims data, possibly missing drugs purchased
with cash or not covered by insurance, Dr. Dunlay says.
The 209 patients in the study, ages 60 to 86, were
asked how often they missed doses or didn't take drugs at all, and why.
Researchers found - > Younger patients were
slightly more likely to skip certain heart medications than older
patients and, > Men were less likely
than women to stick to certain drug regimens.
Among patients who did a poor job following
prescriptions, financial concern was the main reason: > 46 percent reported
that they had stopped taking statins or not filled a prescription
because of cost, and > 23 percent
acknowledged skipping doses to save money.
Although 77 percent of patients in the study were
eligible for Medicare, medication costs were still an important issue
for some of them.
Dr. Dunlay emphasizes that heart failure patients
worried about medication costs should tell their physicians. There often
are lower-cost alternatives, she says.
Notes:
A peer-reviewed journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings
publishes original articles and reviews dealing with clinical and
laboratory medicine, clinical research, basic science research and
clinical epidemiology. Mayo Clinic Proceedings is published monthly by
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research as part of its
commitment to the medical education of physicians. The journal has been
published for more than 80 years and has a circulation of 130,000
nationally and internationally. Articles are available online at
www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in
medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life.
For more information, visit
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www.mayoclinic.org/news.
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March 30, 2011 - For more than 5 million Americans
with heart failure, a critical step to better health is taking the
medications they're prescribed. But many patients, including senior
citizens on Medicare, fail to do so, putting themselves at greater risk
of hospitalization and even death. In a study appearing in the April
issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic researchers found
the drugs' cost is one of the biggest deterrents.