Increasing the default prescription length for statins from 30 days to 90 days rapidly raised the proportion of patients receiving a 90-day prescription. This simple nudge to clinicians to offer patients a longer prescription nearly eliminated racial, ethnic, insurance-based, and income-based disparities in prescription length, in a new study by LDI Senior Fellows Alexander Fanaroff, Michael Harhay, Maryanne Peifer, Kevin Volpp, Kit Delgado, and colleagues. The results suggest a way to ensure all patients have a sufficient medication supply.
Statin medications are recommended for many individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease. People who have medications readily available have lower death rates than those who do not. “A longer prescription length means patients don’t have to fill their prescription as often,” Fanaroff said. “This might help them regularly take their medication without missing days.”