title: Prescription for concern.
abstract: As U.S. medical care relies more heavily on prescription drugs, hospitals are caught in an increasingly painful situation. Shortages of critical pharmaceuticals often leave hospitals empty-handed and, according to clinicians, endanger patient safety. Soaring drug costs account for a huge proportion of burgeoning health care spending, and strategies to control costs, including pharmacy benefit managers and drug discount cards for seniors, so far have had limited or negligible success. Direct-to-consumer advertising has increased demand for expensive--and according to some experts, unnecessary or inappropriate--prescription drugs. In this special report H&HN examines the pressures that these factors put on hospitals.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haugh
authors.forename: Terese Hudson
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Thrall
authors.forename: Dagmara
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scalise
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000600:supply & distribution; D017046:Cost Savings / Q000379:methods; D016527:Drug Costs; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services; D007445:Inventories, Hospital; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010934:Planning Techniques; D014481:United States; D014612:Vaccines / Q000600:supply & distribution
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014612:Vaccines