Drug Price Registry
Drug Price Registry
NJHCQI tracking dramatic price differences
Research conducted by NJHCQI demonstrated significant differences in the price of prescription medications in New Jersey. They found that often, by shopping around in Mercer County, consumers could save as much as $50 on commonly used medications, simply by walking across the street to another pharmacy!
To help allay this problem, exposed by the Quality Institute, less than seven months after his inauguration, on August 21, 2006 - in what some have said is "speed of lightning" quick in government terms—Governor Jon Corzine signed into law legislation creating a new internet-based Drug Price Registry, to allow consumers to easily and readily gain access to local prescription pricing information.
After being asked by state officials to assist in preparing the legislation, NJHCQI enlisted the help of AARP New Jersey, New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, and New Jersey Citizen Action. The resulting system—modeled after one already implemented in New York and three other states—tracks 150 medications. This list will be evaluated bi-annually, with new drugs added and others dropped.
With this legislation, New Jersey became just the fifth state (following New York, Florida, Illinois, and Maryland) to establish what is now one of the most comprehensive health care consumer tools in the nation.