Impact of an indigent care program on use of resources: Experiences at onehospital

Thirty-six indigent patients hospitalized within 6 months of study initiati on and who met criteria were enrolled in a 6-month assistance program to de termine if provision of both medical care and prescription drugs at no cost would be associated with a change in overall health care charges secondary to a change in therapy adherence. A historical control group was identifie d. Charges for drugs and medical care, and the number of hospitalizations a nd emergency room visits were evaluated for comparison with the pretreatmen t period. Adherence to drug regimens was measured using the Med-Out indicat or. Inpatient admissions decreased by 39.5% (from 43 to 26) and outpatient visits decreased by 64.4% (from 194 to 69). This amounted to a. cost avoida nce to the hospital of $378,183. The cost of drugs during the study was $27 ,588. Patients who adhered to therapeutic regimens provided an even greater cost avoidance.