Physicians' views of formularies: implications for Medicare drug benefit design.
As Congress considers introducing a drug benefit for Medicare, it will more than likely adopt a program that uses a formulary. We examined data from the Community Tracking Study Physicians Survey, a large, nationally representative study of physicians, to learn about physicians' views of formularies. Our results suggest that several aspects of formularies are associated with physicians' positive views about them. Policymakers should consider imposing limits on the number of competing Medicare formularies operating in a particular area, promoting the adoption and use of information technology, and incorporating financial incentives for physicians to adhere to formularies.
Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, USA.
Bruce E
BE
Landon
James D
JD
Reschovsky
David
D
Blumenthal
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005569:Formularies as Topic; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States