Medication Management: Preventing Polypharmacy, Maximizing Medicare Part D, and Finding Alternative Payment Sources

Medications are a major part of managing elder care for your loved one. The most important point to remember is that all health care providers must be aware of all medications that have been prescribed for your loved one.

The problem of "poly pharmacy" arises when one physician is not completely informed of all the drugs that a patient is taking. A patient can have serious problems when several physicians prescribe medications that conflict with each other.

The best protection is to prepare a chart, listing the name and dosage of each drug, why it was prescribed, the name of the physician who prescribed it. purpose. Download Medications Checklist in PDF. There is also space on the Medications Checklist for you to list the cost of the drug, and who pays for it.

By using the Medications List, and consulting the pharmacist, you can determine if there is another source of payment that may be less expensive. Many elders are not aware of programs that reduce the cost of medications. Comparing the medications you list on your chart with the information in this article, will help you get control over prescription costs, and Medicare Part D benefits.

 

You can compare Medicare Rx prices with GoodRx: