Patients' Willingness to Pay for Pharmaceutical Care

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the level at which patients receive pharmaceutical care services and their willingness to pay for comprehensive pharmaceutical care services. DesignA mail survey was sent to 2,500 adults in the United States. SettingSurveys were mailed to subjects' homes. Patients or Other ParticipantsSubjects were randomly selected from a marketing database that included representation from each of the 50 states of the United States. Intervention(s)The survey provided a description of comprehensive pharmaceutical care, and survey items asked about the level of care subjects were receiving and their willingness to pay for these services. Main Outcome MeasuresLevel of various pharmacy services subjects reported receiving, and the dollar amount subjects were willing to pay for comprehensive pharmaceutical care. ResultsThe majority of the subjects were not receiving pharmaceutical care services. The average amount all respondents were willing to pay for these services was $13 for a one-time consultation and $28 for this plus 1 year of monitoring. Looking only at those respondents willing to pay (56%), the means rise to $23 and $50, respectively. ConclusionA majority of patients are willing to pay for pharmaceutical care services, even if they are not now receiving this level of care. Direct payment from patients who recognize the therapeutic benefits of pharmaceutical care may be a more viable option than is generally believed, at least until the profession can prove pharmaceutical care's utility and cost-effectiveness to third party payers.