| Doctor seeks patients' helpin keeping drug costs down
Q. As a physician, I want to offer my perspective on the "sticker shock" problem in the pharmacy. I am very conscious of the fact that my patients may not be able to afford medications I prescribe.
Almost all medications have alternatives, and I wish I knew which would be cheapest when I am writing the prescription. Patients with drug coverage could save a lot of time and money if they brought the list of drugs covered by their insurance to every doctor visit.
I also want to know how much patients pay for drugs. I wish they would call the office if the prescription is too expensive! Most of the time, I'd be able to identify a cheaper alternative to prescribe.
A. We appreciate your thoughtful approach. A recent study showed that many doctors don't discuss the cost of prescriptions with their patients (American Journal of Managed Care, November 2006).
Schering-Plough Net Rises on Cholesterol Drugs' Sales (Update5)
Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Schering-Plough Corp.'s fourth- quarter earnings surged 62 percent as the combined sales of its Vytorin and Zetia cholesterol drugs jumped to $1.1 billion. Net income rose to $204 million, or 12 cents a share, from $126 million, or 7 cents, a year earlier, the Kenilworth, New Jersey-based company said today in a statement. Revenue increased 14 percent to $2.7 billion, spurred by a 46 percent rise for Zetia and Vytorin. Chief Executive Officer Fred Hassan closed plants and fired 2,000 workers to cut $100 million in 2007 costs. Schering, the eighth-biggest drugmaker by sales, said it expects revenue from the company's cholesterol drugs to increase this year even as the treatments face competition from generic copies of Merck & Co.'s Zocor.
Medical Record Keeping Tool Keeps Vital Health Information in a USB Ink Pen or Flash Drive That Fits in a Wallet
Columbia, MD (PRWeb) January 31, 2007 -- Health-By-Design.net announces its new medical record keeping tool that is available on a USB ink pen or flash drive small enough to fit in a wallet (http://health-by-design.net/medjournal.htm). My Medical Journal, an easy-to-use medical record keeping guide explains how to communicate more effectively with doctors and prepare for upcoming visits to get the most out of each visit without walking away with an outrageous bill. However, the main emphasis is on how to develop and maintain a personal copy of vital health records (including preventive medicine records). It also teaches how to chart a person's family medical history and provides fill-in charts to keep up with blood pressure, blood sugar, cigarette smoking, and exercise. This guide is available in a pre-programmed ink pen USB, flash drive, 3-ring binder, CD, or floppy disk.
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