Distribution and cost of drugs in a pharmaceutically decentralized health maintenance organization.
A private, free-standing health maintenance organization, Group Health of Arizona, was established with a decentralized pharmacy distribution system. A closed formulary and monthly peer review by pharmacists and physicians influence the number of prescriptions written as well as drug cost. A study was conducted to determine: the 50 most-prescribed items by number and cost; drug cost according to certain therapeutic categories; the average drug cost per prescription; the number of prescriptions dispensed per enrollee; and the cost of drugs dispensed as a percentage of wholesale cost. The objectives of the study were achieved but additional questions requiring future studies were raised.
D001130:Arizona; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000191:economics*; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics*