Dean Riggott Photography
Surescripts
Dave Marotz, Director of Product Innovation, has had the full range of experiences when it comes to pharmacy sticker shock. Even as a health IT expert, he navigates a system that too often leaves patients scrambling for a new plan when the cost of a drug comes as a surprise.
Dave’s thought process mirrors what millions of Americans contend with when they get a new prescription. “I really want to know what the costs are,” he says. “Is there an alternative? Is there a generic? And make sure that I get that generic, because I’m going to be paying for it out of pocket.”
With the rising cost of medications, it’s no wonder that nearly 30% of U.S. consumers ages 19 to 64 say they haven’t taken their prescription drugs as their health care provider has prescribed them because of cost.
While Dave recognizes the burden of patients doing their own additional research to compare costs and find coupons, he also grasps clinicians’ need for efficiency in the electronic health record (EHR) workflow, especially when striving to meet the new challenges of patient care driven by COVID-19. “They know what I need,” he says. “They know the care delivery mechanism. So, they get you out as quickly as possible.”
And his vision for the future of American healthcare? “The right treatment, at the right time, on my schedule and at the right price. That might be a little excessive for ten years. But I can dream.”
It’s a dream that is shared by the hundreds of thousands of healthcare providers and organizations who come together as the Surescripts Network Alliance to solve some of healthcare’s biggest problems. And the positive impact the industry had in 2020 was undeniable. Ninety-five percent of U.S. prescribers served by EHRs are enabled for Real-Time Prescription Benefit. And 82% of U.S. patients are covered by contracted health plans and pharmacy benefit managers. With cost and coverage information delivered in 1.5 seconds on average, nearly 240 million responses gave prescribers the information they needed to make the best decision at the point of care.
Visit Intelligence in Action to learn more about medication affordability, prescription price transparency and other critical issues impacting healthcare.
