Soaring Drug Costs Leave Derms, Patients Scrambling

The costs of popular drugs—even generics—in dermatology are soaring, leaving patients scrambling for coverage or financial assistance and dermatologists spending precious hours on prior authorizations, drug appeals and reviews.
Lindsey Bordone, M.D.Dr. BordoneLindsey Bordone, M.D., dermatologist at Columbia Doctors and assistant professor in dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center, says she and her staff and patients are feeling the brunt of higher medication costs, rising requirements for preauthorization and increasing denials.
“Even things that used to be really cheap, like generic topical steroids, are now really expensive,” Dr. Bordone says. “if someone has a high deductible or even what’s considered a low deductible (a $1,000 deductible is not considered high at all in the current market), you might still have to pay $130 for a cream.”
>>Read More