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Issues Surrounding Warfarin Therapy
During this one-on-one interview, Michael A. Evans, BS, RPh, of Geisinger Health System, discusses the use of warfarin as a treatment and/or prevention option for thromboembolic complications and explains why management of patients on warfarin is difficult.
Warfarin therapy, explains Mr Evans, requires frequent monitoring as warfarin is associated with numerous food interactions, drug-drug interactions, and disease interactions. Mr Evans also discusses warfarin’s mechanism of action and highlights specific foods, drugs, and conditions that affect the efficacy and safety of warfarin therapy.
Some patients prefer the frequent monitoring required with warfarin therapy, as it means more contact with healthcare providers; however, frequent visits for laboratory testing and monitoring place a burden on the healthcare system. As models of healthcare delivery change, patient access to care will become more challenging, says Mr Evans.
The number of testing and monitoring visits associated with warfarin therapy can potentially be reduced through the use of home INR monitoring devices, which allow patients to self-test and provide test results to their monitoring clinicians. However, the use of home INR monitoring devices is still resource utilization—intensive, notes Mr Evans.
The recent approval of direct-acting oral anticoagulants can benefit patient and clinicians, as these agents do not require routine monitoring, adds Mr Evans.
Specialty Drug Costs Drive Medicare Part D Dermatology Expenditures
July 22nd 2025The rapidly increasing prescriptions for expensive specialty medications, rather than their price growth, are the primary driver of escalating dermatology Medicare Part D expenditures, necessitating policies that balance innovation, access, and affordability.
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Primary Care Doctors Lead Rising Physician Exodus From Medicare
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Laundromats as a New Frontier in Community Health, Medicaid Outreach
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AI Meets Medicare: Inside CMS’ WISeR Model With Sanjay Doddamani, MD, MBA
July 17th 2025Sanjay Doddamani, MD, MBA, a former senior advisor to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, and internist and cardiologist by training, explains how the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model hopes to work, and addresses concerns about delays and denials from revamped prior authorization processes.
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