Coaxing Patients Out of the Drugstore

摘要

In the debates over how to reform U.S. health care, one statistic stands out: More thanrnhalf of every dollar spent on it is wasted, according to an April 2008 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Much of that waste is because doctors and patients are often not cost-efficient.rnExpress Scripts, a St. Louis pharmacy benefit manager that handles drug coverage for large employers and health plans, is out to change that behavior. The company, which earned $780 million last year on $22 billion in sales, is applying the principles of behavioral economics to reduce waste, improve patient health, and boost its bottom line. Express, which is No. 22 on this year's BusinessWeek 50 ranking of top performers in the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, is tapping economic research to persuade customers to adopt money-saving practices.