Costs to physician offices of providing medications to medically indigent patients via pharmaceutical manufacturer prescription assistance programs.

BACKGROUND: Prescription assistance programs (PAPs) are offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide medications at no out-of-pocket cost to various categories of medically indigent patients. Some PAPs require only 1 application whereas others require as many as 4 applications per year per drug per patient, depending on the manufacturer's requirements. OBJECTIVE: to measure the costs incurred by a medical clinic that provides chronic prescription medications via PAPs. METHODS: this project was conducted in a free-standing, inner-city, Midwestern health clinic on the PAP application process for 1 representative drug for 32 pharmaceutical manufacturers that offered PAPs for drugs taken on a long-term basis for chronic conditions. Time and motion studies were conducted using a medical assistant with the greatest amount of PAP experience. Assessment of time-to-access and time-to-complete forms was performed outside of normal clinic business hours to avoid interruptions. Personnel time costs also include...