Doctor-Dispensed Drug Prices Still Higher Than Pharmacies, Study Finds

Connecticut patients who pick up a prescription for Percocet at their local pharmacy pay an average of 58 cents a pill. But the same pill, dispensed by a physician, costs more than double that price. That price disparity between drugs dispensed at pharmacies and those dispensed by doctors has narrowed since 2012, when price restrictions were enacted in the state. But a cost gap remains, according to a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). The study found that physician-dispensed drug prices in Connecticut have dropped about 30 percent since 2012, when the state adjusted its fee schedule to limit the reimbursement for physician-dispensed drugs.