Purpose: As the number of uninsured and underinsured patients in the United States continues to rise, savvy nurse practitioners (NPs) must balance quality of care with cost of drugs. This article reviews evidence-based treatments in light of prescribing the most cost-efficient medications.
Data sources: Searches of electronic databases including MEDLINE, MEDLINEPlus, EBSCO, PubMed, CINAHL, Clinical Pharmacology, Biomedical Reference Collection--Basic, Health Source--Consumer Edition, Health Source--Nursing/Academic Edition, Ovid, and the Cochrane Library Online.
Conclusions: As the role of NP continues to evolve, it is important for NPs to establish themselves as economically conscious healthcare providers, striking a delicate balance between providing quality and cost-efficient care. An NP's familiarity with cost-efficient treatment options for common diagnoses such as hypertension, depression, diabetes mellitus, insomnia, and gastroesophageal reflux disorders can help ease the economic burden uninsured and underinsured patients endure, especially with respect to prescription drugs, and improve compliance with medication regimens.
Implications for practice: NPs should acquire knowledge on how to best treat uninsured or underinsured patients in the most cost-efficient manner. Knowledge of prescription drug cost is one tool an NP can use to encourage patient compliance, improving the overall health of uninsured or underinsured individuals.