A national specialty pharmacy implemented a split-fill option within an oral oncology patient management program to reduce pharmacy costs and medication wastage resulting from early discontinuations. Payers covered dispensed medications at half-quantity intervals for each dispense up to 3 months. In this article we have compared costs for patients with a split-fill option to similar costs for patients without this option taking into account patient discontinuation rates, pahis retrospective cohort study included patients who were new to therapy on a split-fill medication between September 2015 and August 2017.
This retrospective cohort study included patients who were new to therapy on a split-fill medication between September 2015 and August 2017. Of the 2,363 program patients who met selection criteria for the 11 medications, 671 patients from each group were matched. Payers with a split-fill program had significant medication savings per covered month ($2,147.60 at 1 month) and at a cumulative 6 months. Modeled wastage indicated that payers without a split-fill program could expect to save $2,646.74 monthly by using this option. Both cohorts had similar rates of adverse effects and time until first reported adverse effects.
In the first 6 months, the split-fill patient managed program had lower discontinuation rates, significantly reduced pharmacy costs, and reduced potential wastage.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6790878/
