Neurologist can seek to find more affordable alternatives to drugs when the out-of-pocket expenses are too great, said Dr. Callaghan, who also serves on the Neurology Drug Pricing Task Force. It may be advisable to put certain drugs lower on a list of potential treatment options than others for a chronic condition such as epilepsy because of their out-of-pocket costs, but it can be frustratingly hard to determine these costs in advance.
The University of Michigan Health System is unique in having drug cost data provided as part of information presented to physicians in electronic health records, but this is not the case in most other clinics. Until doctors can regularly access patient-specific drug and diagnostic testing out-of-pocket costs through EHRs, finding the best affordable medications for patients will remain a costly and time-consuming process, he said in an interview.