Healthcare In Crisis: Study: 1 free meal can sway doctor's prescription drug choice

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Study: 1 free meal can sway doctor's prescription drug choice

As little as one free meal from a drug company can influence which medicines doctors prescribe for Medicare patients.

That's according to a study using Medicare records and recently released data from the health care law's Open Payments program.
The study highlights the subtle ways doctors may feel inclined to prescribe a drug after receiving just a small gift, even if the drug is more costly for patients and their insurance plans, the study authors said.

An estimated $73 billion yearly could be saved if equivalent generics were prescribed instead of brand-name drugs.

The researchers say the bottom line for patients is to always ask if there's a generic that's just as good.

The results were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Statistics Collection

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