May 2012 - Volume 18 Issue 4

BACKGROUND: Medication copayment reduction can be integrated with disease management programs to incentivize patient engagement in chronic care management. While disease management programs in diabetes have been evaluated across a range of settings and designs, less is known regarding the effectiveness of copayment reduction as a component of disease management. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short-term results of a diabetes-focused disease management program that included copayment reduction, care coordination, and patient goal setting, focusing on rates of evidence-based care processes and all-cause pharmacy and health care costs.  METHODS: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island offered large employer groups the opportunity to participate in a diabetes disease management initiative that featured reduced copayments (from $7/$25/$40 for generic, tier 2, and tier 3 drugs, respectively, to $0 for generic and $0-$2 for brand drugs) for diabetes-related medications. In return for the copayment reduction, participants agreed to the following: (a) participate in care coor... READ THE FULL ARTICLE »