Medicare decision making, insulin therapeutic errors, and interdisciplinary care in the NIPC-PBRN

Abstract

1Given the complexity of enrolling in Medicare Part D, the authors’ goal was to determine factors important to Medicare-eligible but as-yetnonenrolled patients’ decisions regarding future enrollment. Ten patients took part in one-on-one focused interviews. The major factors included cost of premiums, the possibility of premiums costing more than if patients were taking generic medications, and lack of coverage for patients’ medications in a specific plan. The complexity of various plans also was described as an “overwhelming” barrier, as was the potential for hitting the doughnut hole. Families and friends were most likely to influence patients’ decisions. Implications. Although almost 90% of Medicare Part D–eligible patients are enrolled, patients often are overwhelmed by various factors when considering the optimal personal plan. Insulin therapeutic errors Diabetes is a chronic disease that is treated almost exclusively in the outpatient setting, except for medical emergencies. Spiller et al. 2