Urologist discusses drug cost savings, price transparency

A recent study published in Urogynecology highlighted cost savings for urogynecologic medications with the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company.¹ In a recent interview with Urology Times®, study author Raymond Xu, MD, a urology resident at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, compared the Cost Plus Drug Company with Medicare Part D and also discussed the need for price transparency when it comes to health care-related costs.

“I think the great thing about Cost Plus Drugs is that, as we mentioned, it's simple, but it's also price transparent, meaning, it is a single fee. It's comprised of 4 elements, which are a manufacturing fee, price for pharmacy, labor, a shipping fee, as well as a 15% mark-up. This is shown pretty nicely for each drug that you purchase on their website. Medicare Part D, on the other hand, is a lot more complex, and the out-of-pocket pricing to the patient depends on many things, such as deductibles, copayments as well as premiums. I think the key here is establishing price transparency. We as providers, and perhaps even we as patients ourselves, know that when we go to the doctor's office, we have no idea how much we're going to owe when we check out. It’s not like there's a big sign in the clinic that shows us the cost of our copayments or our lab or imaging tests or medications, for that matter. What I would personally love to see is the development and implementation of a hybrid pricing model within the clinic, perhaps on an iPad or something where patients can input their insurance information to see and compare their out-of-pocket expenses before their visit, so if the cost is an issue, then we can address this during the visit,” Xu said.

Asked about the take-home message of the study, Xu said, “I think the take-home message for the practicing urologist would really be just to know that programs such as the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company exist, and that they're actually easier to implement in your practice than you’d think. Having another option in your tool belt for the patient who is uninsured, or the patient who has not yet met their yearly deductible, or even the patient whose local pharmacy does not even supply the drug you're prescribing, that can be invaluable.”

REFERENCE

1. Xu R, Escott M, El Haraki AS. The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company effect on urogynecologic drugs. Urogynecology (Phila). 2025 Jan 24. doi:10.1097/SPV.0000000000001653