title: A comparison of maintenance and nonmaintenance outpatient prescription directions, durations of coverage, and costs per day.
abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study on maintenance and nonmaintenance drugs written for outpatients not covered by prescription insurance. The average cost to the patient for a day's supply of drugs, as well as the average dosage, frequency of administration, and length of duration for maintenance and nonmaintenance drugs were examined. The objective of the study was to present the economics and prescribing patterns for the two groups of drugs in order to provide data on the costs involved and the prescribing patterns of physicians. The results of comparing the various components of maintenance and nonmaintenance drugs revealed that significant differences exist in the dosage direction, frequency of administration, units prescribed per day, lengths of duration, costs per day, prescription prices, and quantities prescribed and dispensed. Maintenance drug prescriptions tend to have lower dosage directions, costs per day, and frequencies of administration and higher quantities prescribed and dispensed, prescription prices, and lengths of duration. Two variables, frequency of administration and quantity prescribed, were found to have the greatest influence on the cost per day and length of duration for maintenance drug prescriptions. It is the conclusion of this study that further examination into the factors which influence the physician when he specifies the frequency of administration and quantity to prescribe on maintenance drug prescriptions be conducted.
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services; D006278:Medicare; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011306:Prescription Fees; D012044:Regression Analysis; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations