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

Purpose: To characterize family physicians (FPs) who are stewards of care by consistently prescribing omeprazole over esomeprazole.
Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of physicians prescribing omeprazole or esomeprazole under Medicare Part D in 2014.
Results: 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 ( P < .001), at a patient-centered medical home ( P < .001), or in a large practice ( P < .001).
Conclusions: If these findings are replicated across multiple drugs, future outreach could be conducted based on provider prescribing patterns.
Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none declared.
(© Copyright 2017 by the American Board of Family Medicine.)