Take medication regularly to reduce healthcare costs

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Patients who take their medication as prescribed save thousands of dollars on their healthcare bill.
Many older people are on several different medications and it is not unusual for some of them to be skipped. However, researchers at Ohio State University now reveal that sticking to a medication schedule can lower healthcare costs.

They looked at a group of 275 older adults being prescribed medication for overactive bladder syndrome. This is marked by a sudden and frequent urge to urinate. It is inconvenient and distressing rather than life-threatening. Out of embarrassment, many of those with overactive bladder may not even seek medical advice. What is more, medication may not be reimbursed as drugs for hypertension or heart disease are.

Those who took their medication faithfully had healthcare costs of just over 3,000 dollars in the final year of the study. Those who did not had more than double the costs – nearly 7,000 dollars. The findings suggest the value of comprehensive drug coverage – because it saves money overall and no doubt improves quality of life.

Source
Journal of Urology March 2006