Stark cites medication overdosing as reason to revisit Medicare payments
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
September 19, 2007
Congressman Pete Stark said he supports changes in Medicare payments to eliminate a perverse incentive to prescribe certain medications. Sark explained his position in a post on group blog The Huffington Post.
Stark specifically mentioned Epogen, given to dialysis patients to improve red blood cell counts. The drug is not to be used when a patient has sufficient red blood cells, but the current payment structure gives caregivers more than the cost of medication for every dose prescribed. Thus, facilities are given a perverse incentive to overprescribe patients, causing a patient safety concern.
Stark proposed to change payments by supporting bundling and other measures to remove incentives to use specific drugs.
