RFI: Managed Care and Prescription Drugs
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Can you help us out???
We are two Management Sciences for Health (MSH) employees who are
conducting a review of the effects of managed care and provider reim-
bursement mechanisms on antimicrobial drug use in developing coun-
tries. We would be interested in any contribution you might have to
this research initiative.
We are interested in knowing how supply side interventions such as
provider payment mechanisms and tools of managed care impact on pre-
scribing behavior and on antimicrobial drug use. We are using a broad
definition of managed care that incorporates the many forms of inte-
gration of financing and delivery of health services that have been
implemented throughout the world. We would appreciate recommendations
of studies that you know about.
We are primarily focused on studies from developing countries, but
will also be interested in studies from developed countries. This re-
view will attempt to identify lessons that should be considered when
developing countries introduce health care reforms that incorporate
principles of managed care and changed mechanisms to reimburse pro-
viders. For example, we wish to address the following for both the
public and private sectors:
1. Does shifting financial risk onto health plans and providers re-
sult in more/less rational prescription of antimicrobials?
2. Have managed care tools (such as drug utilization review, disease
management, guidelines, formularies) resulted in more appropri-
ate/rational antimicrobial drug prescription/use?
3. What role does the government or major purchasers (employers, GP-
fundholders, sickness funds) play to ensure that managed care plans
and providers prescribe appropriately?
We will be systematically reviewing all relevant published and unpub-
lished studies that we can get our hands on. If you are aware of any
studies (published or unpublished), which might help us in our re-
view, or if you have any insights into this area of research, we
would be grateful if you would contact us at:
Alix Regalia and Rena Eichler
Management Sciences for Health
Suite 710
1515 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22209, USA
Tel: +1-703-524-6575
Fax: +1-703-524-7898
mailto:Aregalia@msh.org
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