Impact of a pharmacy benefit change on new use of mail order pharmacy among diabetes patients: the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE).

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the impact of a pharmacy benefit change on mail order pharmacy (MOP) uptake.

Data sources/study setting

Race-stratified, random sample of diabetes patients in an integrated health care delivery system.

Study design

In this natural experiment, we studied the impact of a pharmacy benefit change that conditionally discounted medications if patients used MOP and prepaid two copayments. We compared MOP uptake among those exposed to the benefit change (n = 2,442) and the reference group with no benefit change (n = 8,148), and estimated differential MOP uptake across social strata using a difference-in-differences framework.

Data collection/extraction methods

Ascertained MOP uptake (initiation among previous nonusers).

Principal findings

Thi

SUBMITTER: Karter AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4329275 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature