Mayo Clinic researchers found drug cost may be a major reason heart failure patients do not take their prescribed heart medicine, according to a health system news release.
The study recruited patients from Olmsted County, Minn., and tracked their pharmacy records. The 209 patients in the study, ages 60-86, were asked how often and why they missed doses or didn't take drugs at all.
Researchers found that younger patients and men were more likely to skip certain heart medications. Among patients who did a poor job following prescriptions, financial concern was the main reason: 46 percent reported that they had stopped taking statins or had not filled a prescription because of cost, and 23 percent acknowledged skipping doses to save money.
Although 77 percent of patients in the study were eligible for Medicare, medication costs were still an important issue for some of them. Study authors emphasized the need to communicate lower-cost alternatives to heart failure patients.
Read the news release about cost of drugs.
Read other coverage about our top 50 hospitals:
- Hackensack University Medical Center Collaborates With Diabetes Researcher to Test New Treatment
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The study recruited patients from Olmsted County, Minn., and tracked their pharmacy records. The 209 patients in the study, ages 60-86, were asked how often and why they missed doses or didn't take drugs at all.
Researchers found that younger patients and men were more likely to skip certain heart medications. Among patients who did a poor job following prescriptions, financial concern was the main reason: 46 percent reported that they had stopped taking statins or had not filled a prescription because of cost, and 23 percent acknowledged skipping doses to save money.
Although 77 percent of patients in the study were eligible for Medicare, medication costs were still an important issue for some of them. Study authors emphasized the need to communicate lower-cost alternatives to heart failure patients.
Read the news release about cost of drugs.
Read other coverage about our top 50 hospitals:
- Hackensack University Medical Center Collaborates With Diabetes Researcher to Test New Treatment
- Cleveland Clinic Receives 22 Environmental Achievement Awards
- Dedication for Johns Hopkins' New Clinical Building Set For April 12