Term: Pharmaceutical Users, High-Cost

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2008-03-11

Definition:

Individuals for whom annual expenditures for prescription medications fall in the top 5th percentile of annual prescription expenditures.

One of three mutually exclusive categories - Non-High Cost, Intermittent High-Cost and High-Cost Pharmaceutical Users.

Related concepts 

• Calculating Costs/Expenditures for Pharmaceuticals

Related terms 

• Pharmaceutical User
• Pharmaceutical Users, Intermittent High-Cost
• Pharmaceutical Users, Non-High Cost

References 

• Kozyrskyj A, Lix L, Dahl M, Soodeen R. High-cost Users of Pharmaceuticals: Who are They? Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2005. [Report] [Summary] (View)