(305) Empowering APPE Students to Address High Cost Medications in the Medicare Part D Selection Process

Objective : To determine if educating advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students about Medicare, programs that help with medication costs, and insurance plan formularies leads to their ability to address the cost concerns of a Medicare population.

Methods: The need for student exposure to financial issues related to medication pricing in the older adult population is often overlooked. Several of the most expensive medication classes, such as glucagon like peptide 1 agonists (GLP-1 agonists) and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are difficult for this fixed-income population to afford but the use of these medications is only growing. The MCPHS Pharmacy Outreach Program educates students not only in the specifics of Medicare and plan evaluation but also in finding solutions to high-cost medications for this population. This program teaches students by orienting them to the problem, introducing resources that could allow cost savings, having students role-play patient interactions, and providing opportunities for students to observe patient calls which they will ultimately make themselves. Developing a trusting relationship and delivering information in an easy-to-understand format is a strong focus of the rotation.

Results: During the 2023 Medicare Open Enrollment Period (10/15/23-12/7/23), seven APPE students completed 175 Medicare Part D reviews. Ninety-eight of those patient cases contained a target high-cost medication from the DOAC and GLP-1 medication classes. The average cost savings per patient was $2,012.58, with a median cost savings of $649.72 for patients with high-cost medications.

Conclusions: APPE students found cost-savings for Medicare beneficiaries during the Medicare open enrollment period. They were further able to effectively communicate these findings to the patients themselves. Students who faced reluctance or skepticism could still relay important information while respecting the geriatric patient’s autonomy.