Out-of-Pocket Costs Influence GDMT Uptake in Heart Failure, with Anand Shah, MD, MBA

Anand Shah, MD, MBA, provides insights into a study he led examining the impact of out-of-pocket costs and insurance type on uptake of GDMT in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.Anand Shah, MD, MBACredit: LinkedInAn analysis from investigators at the Duke University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine offers new insight into the impact of out-of-pocket costs with optimal uptake of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).Presented at the Heart Failure Society of American 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, results of the study, which was a preplanned potshot analysis of a pilot study for patients admitted to noncardiology services, suggests a virtual consult intervention to improve GDMT prescribing was generally effective only when out-of-pocket monthly medication costs did not exceed $100, but investigators noted this interaction was no statistically significant.Per study design, the population for the analysis included patients in the trial intervention arm, who were subject to a virtual consult with a certified pharmacy technician who would provide cost estimates of contemporary GDMT when available and completed insurance prior authorizations required. The primary outcomes of interest for the study were change in
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