Using Drug Prescribing Patterns to Identify Stewards of Cost-Conscious Care.

Abstract

To characterize family physicians (FPs) who are stewards of care by consistently prescribing omeprazole over esomeprazole. Cross-sectional analysis of physicians prescribing omeprazole or esomeprazole under Medicare Part D in 2014. There was a regional trend with 49% of Western FPs but only 6% of Southern FPs rarely prescribing esomeprazole. Physicians had increased odds of being a steward if they worked with a care coordinator (<i>P</i> < .001), at a patient-centered medical home (<i>P</i> < .001), or in a large practice (<i>P</i> < .001). If these findings are replicated across multiple drugs, future outreach could be conducted based on provider prescribing patterns.