The goal is to show the vast price differences among pharmacies and how easy it is to shop around.
Let's take the popular cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor. Most patients start at a 10-milligram dose and take 1 pill a day.
At the Sam's Club in Ferguson, a patient without insurance would pay $67.89 for a month's supply. By driving to the Shop 'n Save pharmacy on North Florissant Road in Ferguson, the same patient would pay about $17 more. The Walgreen's down the street charges $27 more than the Sam's Club. Less than five miles away at Beverly Hills pharmacy, the cost would be $102.54.
Think even $67.89 sounds a bit steep? Most physicians say patients taking the lowest doses of Lipitor can switch to simvastatin. It's the generic alternative for Zocor, a similar drug.
By switching to simvastatin, patients at that Sam's Club in Ferguson would pay only $13.72. But move that simvastatin prescription to the Wal-Mart next door and the price goes up more than $40.
Think none of this matters to patients with insurance? Think again.
Employers almost always set co-pays lower for generic medications. And, some employers are turning to high-deductible insurance plans. Many of those plans don't offer drug coverage until the deductible is met. So the first $1,000 or more of drug costs are paid by the employee.
Other companies are requiring workers pay a percentage of the drug's cost rather than a flat co-payment. In those cases, a few minutes of phone calls can save an extra $5, $10 or more.
There's even some benefit for those lucky patients who pay a flat co-pay. Keeping drug costs down will help it stay that way. According to one cost comparison tool, a year of Lipitor would cost the employer or health plan $952.44, about $631 more than a year of simvastatin. Those dollars add up.
Ordering these and other maintenance medications through a mail-order service rather than going to a retail pharmacy could save even more for the patient and the employer.
So where is this information? All prices in this column were found at www.morxcompare.com. It's a website created by the Missouri Department of Social Services. The searchable site allows patients to type in their medications, including the strength and quantity. Then it spits out a list of pharmacies with addresses, phone numbers and prices.
Though this site makes comparisons easier, a few phone calls could accomplish the same task. Each of the pharmacies in this column were called anonymously for price verification. Each quickly and cheerfully provided pricing information. Most of the time the prices were the same as on the website and when there was a difference, only once was it more than $2.
There is one problem, though, with price shopping for prescriptions. It becomes more difficult to detect drug interactions.
Nearly all pharmacies have computer systems that search for potential interactions, but those systems only look at the prescriptions being filled by that pharmacy. So if a patient is getting one prescription filled at pharmacy A and another filled at pharmacy B, a dangerous combination might be missed.
This is of particular concern when those medications are being prescribed by different doctors who might be unaware the patient is taking the other drug.
There are a few ways to get around this. They all come down to asking questions and giving information. Make each physician and pharmacy aware of the what's happening with the others. Also, keep a written list of medications and carry it around for quick reference.
And, never be too shy to alert favorite pharmacies of discounts elsewhere. Some will match a lower price if it's brought to their attention.
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