wellness
FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 21, 2019 • WELLNESS • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
Tech tools that can help you cut your healthcare costs
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, 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.
Technological solutions have made a
diff erence, helping to bring transparency
and helping patients gain control of their
care in a variety of ways.
Technology gives doctors access: For
example, technology has helped give doctors
information on the costs of the thousands
of drugs they prescribe. Given the
many diff erent insurance plans that cover
their patients, with each charging different
amounts for these medications, it
had been frustrating for patients trying to
take personal and fi nancial ownership of
their health, and for the doctors trying to
help them.
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.
Wearable devices aid transparency: Th e
availability and popularity of health and
wellness tech tools has also 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 give 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.”
Apps off er individualized information:
Even when physicians are not using the latest
technologies, their patients oft en have
access to personalized treatment information
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.
Using these tech tools can help patients
as they discuss options with their doctor,
so they can receive a prescription they can
fi ll at an aff ordable price.
Courtesy BPT
/WWW.QNS.COM
