March 22, 2013
Capital Gazette
It’s taken years for Dr. Ronald Sroka, a Crofton primary care physician, to hone his skill at prescribing what he considers the right medications.
But while he trusts his formula for prescribing meds, he also knows his patients’ insurance companies may not agree. And in what’s called “step therapy,” those insurers can also refuse to pay for drugs unless a patient has tried and failed with older, presumably cheaper, therapies first.
“It precludes physicians from being able to individualize care,” Sroka said. “No two patients are the same.”
He is among doctors supporting state legislation that would limit the step therapy policies in Maryland.
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