Recently, I had the pleasure to read a publication by USA Today, Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health called The Public on Prescription Drugs and Pharmaceutical Companies. Although the article was filled from start to finish with informative data on the pharmaceutical industry, I want to discuss a specific finding.

According to the article, people rely the most on doctors to provide information about their prescription drugs. Furthermore, more than 70% of their participants say they rely on doctors “a lot” to provide accurate information about prescription medicines. This is particularly interesting when compared to other sources. For example, 51% rely on their pharmacist, 43% rely on the information contained in drug product packaging, 22% rely on government agencies like the FDA, and 15% rely family and friends.

However, the article states that when details about the cost of drugs arise, people are more likely to talk to their pharmacist than their doctor. As discussed, “Fewer than half (44%) say they usually talk to their doctor about the cost of a drug when they get a new prescription.” Conversely, about 61% of people say they usually talk to their pharmacist about drug pricing and comparative, cheaper alternatives. Furthermore, this process usually happens as the patient is filling their prescription.

With this information, I want to ask you the following: with whom, where, or when do you want to discuss your prescription prices? And, where do you think is the best place to distribute pharmaceutical coupons? Send us an e-mail at contactus@mycoupondoc.com or tweet us @CouponDoc and let us know!