UK Key To Cost Effective Prescribing

Health authorities have an important role to play in ensuring that doctors prescribe cost-effectively and clinically-effectively, UK Health Minister Brian Mawhinney told a conference on prescribing for purchasers' authorities.

Earlier this year, he said, the UK Audit Commission report pointed out that, although there is much good prescribing in the country, over L400 million ($628.6 million) could be saved if all general practitioners prescribed as responsibly as 50 model practices (Marketletter March 14). "With the drug bill currently standing at L3 billion and rising," he said, "health authorities can play their part in promoting cost-effective and clinically-effective prescribing."

Prescribing activities of hospitals also have an impact on around a third of the primary care drugs bill, Dr Mawhinney said, and if to this is added the fact that "a significant number of hospital admissions are caused by the ill effects of drug treatment, be it interactions or patients not taking the drugs prescribed, it is clear that good prescribing is very much a key issue for purchasers."