The Reduction Impact in Medical Expenses of Pharmaceutical Inquiries on Leftover Medicines at a Community Pharmacy

Abstract

This study examined the reduction in medical expenses achieved by pharmaceutical inquiries at a community pharmacy. The total number of inquiries was 1,053 out of a total of 29,875 prescriptions filled at one community pharmacy (incidence: 3.5％). Pharmaceutical inquiries regarding the elimination of prescribed medicines were classified into two categories: leftover (incidence: 0.76％) and those regarding duplicate prescriptions filled by other institutions or drug interactions (incidence: 0.18％). The doctors accordingly reduced the number of medicines after these inquiries, which led to a reduction in dispensing and medical fees. The reduction in patient medical expenses per prescription from leftover medicines was 1,425 yen (median) for children (under 14 years), 390 yen for adults (15-64 years), and 1,165 yen for elderly patients (over 65 years). The reduction in patient medical expenses per prescription from eliminating duplicate prescriptions was 955 yen for children, 250 yen for adults, and 360 yen for the elderly. The reduction in patient medical expenses from leftover medicines was statistically higher compared with that from duplicate prescriptions for elderly patients (P < 0.01). This difference was because of long-term drug prescriptions for cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the digestive and central nervous systems. Our findings show that community pharmacists can effectively reduce patient medical expenses and increase patient safety by responding to pharmaceutical inquiries and collecting leftover medications.

Investigation of Leftover Hyperphosphatemia Drugs in Hemodialysis Outpatients

“…In this context, there are several papers that estimated the value of leftover drugs. 17,18) In the present interview survey, the number of patients with good adherence was 34. Therefore, the ratio of non-adherence was approximately 43％ (26 out of 60).…”

The process of surplus medicine accumulation by elderly Japanese patients with chronic disease: A qualitative study

“…Although the definition of "surplus" differs among medical professionals and patients (2,7,8), all surplus medicines existing in patients' homes have been considered to be used inappropriately or misused from the viewpoint that there is an inherent danger in surplus medicines. The term "surplus medicines" is uniquely defined in this study as "medicines taken by patients that were prescribed in the past that are not meant to be used at present, but were kept without being discarded."…”

“…It is estimated that the overall monetary value of surplus medicines in patients' homes exceeds tens of billions of yen annually (1)(2). Such accumulation factors into serious problems, including the improper use of this surplus medicines, the burden it places on the medical economy, and associated environmental issues.…”

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Establishing a Pharmacy-Based Patient Registry System: A Pilot Study for Evaluating Pharmacist Intervention for Patients with Long-Term Medication Use

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