TY - JOUR
T1 - Outpatient costs of medications for patients with chronic heart failure
AU - Hussey, Leslie C.
AU - Hardin, Sonya
AU - Blanchette, Christopher
PY - 2002/9
Y1 - 2002/9
N2 - • BACKGROUND The outpatient costs of medications prescribed for chronic heart failure are high and are often borne by individual patients. Lack of financial resources may force noncompliance with use of medications. • OBJECTIVE To compare the outpatient costs of medications for patients with different New York Heart Association classifications of chronic heart failure. • METHODS The charts of 138 patients with chronic heart failure were reviewed retrospectively. Outpatient costs of medications were obtained from the Web sites of commercial pharmacies. Medications were classified by type according to the system of the American Heart Association. A mean cost for each classification of medication was used for analysis. • RESULTS The overall mean monthly cost of medications for chronic heart failure was $438. Patients with class II and class III chronic heart failure had the highest costs: $541 and $514, respectively. Analysis of variance indicated that the differences in monthly costs of medications between the patients with the 4 stages of chronic heart failure were significant (F = 4.86, P = .003). A post hoc Scheffé test revealed significant differences in costs between patients with class I and patients with class II heart failure (P = .02) and between patients with class I and those with class III heart failure (P = .02). • CONCLUSIONS The outpatient costs of medications for chronic heart failure are significant. Ability to pay for prescribed medications must be determined. Healthcare professionals must maintain an awareness of the costs of medications and patients' ability to pay.
AB - • BACKGROUND The outpatient costs of medications prescribed for chronic heart failure are high and are often borne by individual patients. Lack of financial resources may force noncompliance with use of medications. • OBJECTIVE To compare the outpatient costs of medications for patients with different New York Heart Association classifications of chronic heart failure. • METHODS The charts of 138 patients with chronic heart failure were reviewed retrospectively. Outpatient costs of medications were obtained from the Web sites of commercial pharmacies. Medications were classified by type according to the system of the American Heart Association. A mean cost for each classification of medication was used for analysis. • RESULTS The overall mean monthly cost of medications for chronic heart failure was $438. Patients with class II and class III chronic heart failure had the highest costs: $541 and $514, respectively. Analysis of variance indicated that the differences in monthly costs of medications between the patients with the 4 stages of chronic heart failure were significant (F = 4.86, P = .003). A post hoc Scheffé test revealed significant differences in costs between patients with class I and patients with class II heart failure (P = .02) and between patients with class I and those with class III heart failure (P = .02). • CONCLUSIONS The outpatient costs of medications for chronic heart failure are significant. Ability to pay for prescribed medications must be determined. Healthcare professionals must maintain an awareness of the costs of medications and patients' ability to pay.
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U2 - 10.4037/ajcc2002.11.5.474
DO - 10.4037/ajcc2002.11.5.474
M3 - Article
C2 - 12233973
AN - SCOPUS:0036726248
SN - 1062-3264
VL - 11
SP - 474
EP - 478
JO - American Journal of Critical Care
JF - American Journal of Critical Care
IS - 5
ER -