4 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 24, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
top doctors 2019
Making healthcare more accessible
If you fi nd it challenging to understand
the convoluted and sometimes confl icting
information regarding your healthcare,
you’re not alone.
Because the U.S. healthcare system is so
complex, sometimes it can be a struggle
for patients and even doctors to have clear,
transparent information about the costs of
medications and how they are covered by
insurance.
Part of the problem is that doctors have
had a near impossible job of knowing the
costs of the thousands of drugs they prescribe
given the many diff erent insurance
plans that cover their patients, with each
charging diff erent amounts for these medications.
Th at’s been frustrating both for
patients trying to take personal and fi nancial
ownership of their health, and for the
busy doctors trying to help them.
Fortunately, technology has come to the
rescue. More than 85 percent of physicians
now use electronic health record (EHR)
technology, which makes it possible to utilize
new tools and digital platforms that
provide your doctor drug and plan coverage
information right in the exam room,
as well as options for lower-cost alternative
medications. Th is helps guarantee that
you’re getting the right medication at the
best price, as well as know in advance if
the medication requires prior authorization
(PA). Th is avoids the frustration of
going to fi ll your prescription at the pharmacy
only to learn that it’s either not covered
or needs a PA.
Th is is just one of the many ways technology
is changing healthcare. Th e availability
and popularity of health and wellness
tech tools has exploded in recent
years, with wearable devices and apps providing
personalized health information
such as heart rate, blood pressure and sleep
patterns, as well as medication, hydration
and exercise reminders.
“High-tech tools gives doctors transparency
into a patient prescription plan, allowing
them to better monitor their patients’
conditions and make better treatment
decisions, while also enabling patients to
be much more knowledgeable about their
health and more engaged in what they
need to do to stay healthy,” said Dr. Lynne
Nowak, chief physician experience offi cer
at Express Scripts. “Technology can help
make healthcare more of a partnership
between the patient and the physician.”
Even when physicians are not using
the latest technologies, their patients oft en
have access to personalized treatment
information right from their smartphones.
One such app available through Express
Scripts provides individual information so
you can learn about the medications you’re
being prescribed and any existing safety
issues, whether you need a prior authorization,
what the out-of-pocket costs of the
treatment will be, which pharmacies off er
the best price and whether there are alternatives
or generics available that would
cost less. With this information in hand,
you can discuss the options with your doctor
and leave the offi ce with a prescription
you know you’ll be able to fi ll at a price you
can aff ord.
Courtesy BPT
/WWW.QNS.COM
