How to Address Prescription Affordability in Your Practice

As physicians, we strive to provide the best possible care for our patients. However, a startling statistic reveals a significant obstacle in our efforts: 37% of Americans reported not filling a prescription, cutting pills in half, or skipping doses due to cost concerns in 2023. This alarming trend highlights a critical gap in medication adherence that we must address to ensure optimal patient outcomes.

The Cost Barrier to Health

The rising costs of prescription medications have created a formidable barrier between patients and their necessary treatments. When patients can't afford their medications, they're forced to make difficult choices that can severely impact their health. As healthcare providers, it's crucial that we recognize this challenge and take proactive steps to help our patients overcome it.

Understanding the Options

To effectively assist our patients, we need to be aware of the three primary methods of accessing prescription medications:

1. Insurance co-pays

2. Out-of-pocket payments

3. Discount programs

While insurance and out-of-pocket payments are well-known, discount programs remain an underutilized resource. Surprisingly, discount program rates beat insurance prices nearly 50% of the time and can provide an average of 80% savings on non-insured prescription medications. Despite these significant benefits, only 3% of medication users reported using a discount program in 2023.

The Untapped Potential of Discount Programs

The low utilization rate of discount programs represents a massive missed opportunity for patient savings. As physicians, we have the power to bridge this gap by introducing our patients to these cost-saving options. However, the current landscape of discount programs presents its own set of challenges.

Overcoming Obstacles to Savings

Traditional discount card and coupon programs often involve multiple steps and touchpoints, creating barriers for both physicians and patients. As healthcare providers, our primary focus is on delivering high-quality care, leaving little time to navigate complex discount systems. Similarly, patients may struggle with awareness issues or digital literacy challenges when trying to access these programs.

A Streamlined Solution: Introducing PontRx

To address these challenges, innovative solutions like PontRx have emerged. PontRx offers an integrated approach that simplifies the process of accessing prescription discounts. By integrating directly with a physician's EMR system, PontRx ensures that patients receive the lowest price on their medications at every pharmacy visit, without requiring any additional steps from the physician or patient.

The Benefits of Integration

With PontRx, the moment a prescription is written, an automated SMS notification is sent to the patient with a digital discount card. This seamless process offers several advantages:

• No pharmacy switching required – works with all major pharmacy groups

• No app downloads or complex user interfaces for patients to navigate

• No additional fees or steps for physicians or clinics

• Increased patient retention and decreased churn for practices

Taking Action

As physicians, we have the opportunity to make a significant impact on our patients' health outcomes by addressing the issue of prescription affordability. By leveraging solutions like PontRx, we can:

1. Improve medication adherence rates

2. Reduce financial stress for our patients

3. Enhance the overall quality of care we provide

4. Strengthen the patient-physician relationship

It's time to bridge the medication adherence gap and ensure that cost never stands between our patients and their health. By embracing innovative solutions and prioritizing prescription affordability, we can make a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve