Thursday, March 06, 2008

Do bureaucratic delays in Canada’s prescription drug plan increase mortality after coronary stenting?

Possibly, according to a study recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The authors attributed it to the red tape patients had to go through to get their Plavix filled following coronary stenting. It’s been known for quite a while that even a minor delay in getting the Plavix filled is associated with worse outcomes.

I’m thankful that here in the U.S. I don’t have to send paperwork to Washington (or Little Rock) when I prescribe Plavix for patients.



2 comments:

DrWes said...

At least not yet...

DHS said...

The bureaucracy can be streamlined, and what it does is reduce the use of expensive medications off-label (or on-label for non-cost-effective indications, eg pregabalin for fibromyalgia). Here, it is auditable -- when you write a subsidised script for Plavix, you declare certain things, and they can take away your license if you've lied.