chapter 12: Pharmacoeconomics

Question 1

1. Pharmacoeconomics is:
2. The study of the part of the U.S. economy devoted to drug use
3. The study of the impact of prescription drug costs on the overall economy
4. The analysis of the costs and consequences of any health-care-related treatment or service
5. The analysis of the clinical efficacy of the drug

Answer 1

3. The analysis of the costs and consequences of any health-care-related treatment or service

Question 2

2. The direct costs of drug therapy include:
3. The actual cost of acquiring the medication
4. The loss of income due to illness
5. Pain and suffering due to inadequate drug therapy
6. The cost of a funeral associated with premature death

Answer 2

3. Pain and suffering due to inadequate drug therapy

Question 3

3. Indirect costs associated with drug therapy include:
4. The cost of diagnostic tests to monitor therapeutic levels
5. Health-care provider time to prescribe and educate the patient
6. Child-care expenses incurred while receiving therapy
7. Loss of wages while undergoing drug therapy

Answer 3

4. Loss of wages while undergoing drug therapy

Question 4

4. The intangible costs of drug therapy include:
5. Loss of wages while undergoing therapy
6. Inconvenience, pain, and suffering incurred with therapy
7. Cost of medical equipment in the laboratory used to monitor therapeutic drug levels
8. Cost of prescription drug coverage, such as Medicare Part D

Answer 4

2. Inconvenience, pain, and suffering incurred with therapy

Question 5

5. When a pharmacoeconomic analysis looks at two or more treatment alternatives that are considered equal in efficacy and compares the costs of each it is referred to as:
6. Cost-minimization analysis
7. Cost-of-illness analysis
8. Cost-effectiveness analysis
9. Cost-benefit analysis

Answer 5

1. Cost-minimization analysis

Question 6

6. Cost-effectiveness analysis compares two or more treatments or programs that are:
7. Not necessarily therapeutically equivalent
8. Considered equal in efficacy
9. Compared with the dollar value of the benefit received
10. Expressed in terms of patient preference or quality-adjusted life years

Answer 6

1. Not necessarily therapeutically equivalent

Question 7

7. When the costs of a specific treatment or intervention are calculated and then compared with the dollar value of the benefit received it is referred to as:
8. Cost-minimization analysis
9. Cost-of-illness analysis
10. Cost-effectiveness analysis
11. Cost-benefit analysis

Answer 7

4. Cost-benefit analysis

Question 8

8. Mary has a two-tiered prescription benefit plan, which means:
9. She can receive differing levels of care based on whether she chooses an “in-plan” provider or not.
10. She is eligible for the new Medicare Part D “donut hole” reduction of costs program.
11. She pays a higher copay for brand-name drugs than for generic drugs.
12. She must always choose to be treated with generic drugs first.

Answer 8

3. She pays a higher copay for brand-name drugs than for generic drugs.

Question 9

9. Prescribing less-expensive generic drugs or drugs off the $4 retail pharmacy lists:
10. Increases the complexity of the pharmacoeconomics of prescribing for the individual patient
11. Increases compliance by reducing the financial burden of drug costs to the patient
12. Is not sound prescribing practice due to the inferiority of the generic products
13. Will increase the overall cost of drugs to the system due to the ease of overprescribing less-expensive drugs

Answer 9

2. Increases compliance by reducing the financial burden of drug costs to the patient

Question 10

10. James tells you that he is confused by his Medicare Part D coverage plan. An appropriate intervention would be:
11. Order cognitive testing to determine the source of his confusion.
12. Sit down with him and explain the whole Medicare Part D process.
13. Refer him to the Medicare specialist in his insurance plan to explain the benefit to him.
14. Request his son come to the next appointment so you can explain the benefit to him.

Answer 10

4. Request his son come to the next appointment so you can explain the benefit to him.

Question 11

11. The “donut hole” in Medicare Part D:
12. Will be totally eliminated with the federal health-care reform enacted in 2010
13. Refers to the period of time when annual individual drug costs are between $250 and $2,250 per year and drug costs are covered 75%
14. Refers to the period between when the annual individual drug costs are $2,970 and $4,750 and the patient pays 52.5% of the costs of brand name drugs (2013)
15. Has no effect on whether patients continue to fill their prescriptions during the coverage gap

Answer 11

3. Refers to the period between when the annual individual drug costs are $2,970 and $4,750 and the patient pays 52.5% of the costs of brand name drugs (2013)

Question 12

12. Research has shown that when patients who are covered by Medicare Part D reach the “donut hole” in coverage they:
13. Ask for extra refills of medication to get them through the months of no coverage
14. Fill their prescriptions less frequently, including critical medications such as warfarin or a statin
15. Fill their critical medications, but hold off on filling less-critical medications
16. Demonstrate no change in their prescription filling pattern

Answer 12

2. Fill their prescriptions less frequently, including critical medications such as warfarin or a statin