Physicians will soon see real-time drug cash prices alongside insurance estimates directly inside the electronic health record before hitting send.
The EHR Shift
Medication abandonment at the pharmacy counter often stems from sudden price shock. Epic is addressing this by embedding a prescription marketplace into its software, slated for full rollout in summer 2027.
By partnering with Amazon Pharmacy, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, Costco, and LillyDirect, the tool displays cash options and out-of-pocket insurance estimates side-by-side during the clinical visit.
Point-of-Care Friction
Integrating retail pricing into the clinical workflow gives providers immediate leverage to combat cost-driven non-adherence. However, adding pricing discussions to short visits threatens to increase clinician administrative burden.
Transparency at the screen does not automatically guarantee lower prices if local pharmacy options remain constrained.
Clinicians gain clear visibility into real patient costs, but health systems must establish workflows so price comparisons do not stall clinical care.
