Alexandria, Virginia - July 25, 2000 — Health plans that require enrollees to split tablets of medication as a cost-savings measure are risking patient health and safety, the Board of Directors of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists asserted in a recently approved policy statement. "Some health plans are requiring that their beneficiaries purchase double-strength tablets, which are sometimes the same price or only slightly higher price than the prescribed dose -- then cut the tablets in half," said ASCP Director of Professional Affairs Tom Clark, RPh, MHS. "But there are myriad reasons why this practice can compromise the health and safety of patients.

Older adults are especially affected by these policies because they often require lower-than-customary doses of medications due to changes in drug metabolism associated with aging.

During its recent meeting at ASCP headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, the ASCP Board of Directors approved a strongly worded policy statement opposing policies that deny patient access to lower strengths of prescribed medications. In some cases, pharmacists and physicians may provide patients with higher strength versions of medications, to be split in half as appropriate, and monitor these patients to ensure that they are taking their medications correctly. However, health plans that mandate this cost-saving strategy do so at their beneficiaries' risk.

Some patients, especially older individuals, are unable to correctly split tablets and follow their prescribed drug regimen. In other cases, splitting tablets may compromise the medication's stability or result in inaccurate dosing.

"Only pharmacists and physicians, who have direct access to patients, and the professional knowledge to assess the safety and efficacy of tablet-splitting, should be permitted to make these kinds of recommendations for patients," said Clark. "Broad policies like this issued by health insurance plans are short-sighted and dangerous."