Patients' willingness to pay for pharmaceutical care.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the level at which patients receive pharmaceutical care services and their willingness to pay for comprehensive pharmaceutical care services.


METHODS
A mail survey was sent to 2,500 adults in the United States.


METHODS
Surveys were mailed to subjects' homes.


METHODS
Subjects were randomly selected from a marketing database that included representation from each of the 50 states of the United States.


METHODS
The survey provided a description of comprehensive pharmaceutical care, and survey items asked about the level of care subjects were receiving and their willingness to pay for these services.


METHODS
Level of various pharmacy services subjects reported receiving, and the dollar amount subjects were willing to pay for comprehensive pharmaceutical care.


RESULTS
The majority of the subjects were not receiving pharmaceutical care services. The average amount all respondents were willing to pay for these services was $13 for a one-time consultation and $28 for this plus 1 year of monitoring. Looking only at those respondents willing to pay (56%), the means rise to $23 and $50, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
A majority of patients are willing to pay for pharmaceutical care services, even if they are not now receiving this level of care. Direct payment from patients who recognize the therapeutic benefits of pharmaceutical care may be a more viable option than is generally believed, at least until the profession can prove pharmaceutical care's utility and cost-effectiveness to third party payers.
Larson
R A
RA
College of Pharmacy, Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI 49307-2740, USA. larsonr@ferris.edu
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D010604:Pharmacy; D014481:United States