title: Hospital offers free drugs to prevent costly hospitalizations.
abstract: A financially strapped rural hospital is helping control the costs of indigent care by giving away prescriptions to residents with diabetes, asthma, and other chronic illnesses. The program's small expense is more than offset by the reductions in acute care costs.
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D016527:Drug Costs; D005381:Financing, Organized; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011203:Poverty; D013781:Texas; D017664:Uncompensated Care; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations