Integration of pharmacies with physician practices, where on-site pharmacies open at physician practice locations, is a growing trend in cancer treatment. However, little is known about how this integration affects drug utilization or expenditures, along with other aspects of the patient experience. A study published today in JAMA Network Open compared the outcomes of patients treated by oncologists whose practices integrated with pharmacies, to those of oncologists that did not integrate.
Researchers found a slight increase in utilization of oral oncology drugs, but no significant change in expenditures on the drugs. In addition, there were no discernible benefits for patients as measured by out-of-pocket expenditures, medication adherence, and the amount of time before treatment of cancer started. The study's lead author Genevieve Kanter, a senior fellow at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics and associate professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, said the results were surprising, given the negative effects observed from other types of integration in health care.
The growth of physician-pharmacy integration over the last 15 years had raised concerns about potentially increased drug utilization and spending and a shift towards more profitable and expensive oral cancer therapies. On the other hand, the potential benefits of integration were also not observed in this study. Earlier, small-scale studies have suggested that pharmacy integration c.
