Some Problems of Drug Prescription in the General Practitioner´s Surgery

Overview

After negatiotions at the district branch of the General Insurance Company in Ústí nad Orlicíthe author analysed drug prescription in a risk group of patients, i.e. in chronic patients whotake several drugs. An attempt was made to find certain associations between costs of treatmentand the general paractioner who starts treatment of a chronic disease, treatment recommendedby the out-patient consultant or hospital. The conclusion was unequivocally in favour of onsetof treatment and also repeated prescriptions in the surgery of the general practitioner. Financialresources will not be saved if prescriptions will be made by the consultant or in hospital.Paradoxically the cost will be only shifted to the consultants (unless they change from the verybeginning the approach to medication and selection of a preparations with regard to theirregulating mechanisms), and the costs of treatment provided by consultants will increase asthe visit of the patient and his check-ups in the GP´s surgery are included in the capitation feeand thus not paid by the insurance company.

Key words:
chronic patients - drug prescription - economic aspects.