Could your cost-saving advice be sabotaging your patients' deductibles?

Prescription discount platforms like GoodRx have become a fixture in the US healthcare landscape. For many patients, they offer a quick and seemingly easy way to save on medications, while giving clinicians a much-needed glimpse into out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy.

But as convenient as they are, the mechanics behind these services are surprisingly complex—and possibly not always in the patient’s best interest.

Clinicians had long wished for an easy way to see what medications would actually cost patients, and GoodRx seemed to deliver that—largely for free.

How does GoodRx actually make money?

As Dr. Alcorn dug deeper, he started asking the questions many prescribers have likely wondered about: "I remember thinking, how is this place making money? What are they doing to possibly fund this giant database of moving drug prices that they're staying up to date on?" Dr. Alcorn said.

Integrations into electronic medical record (EMR) systems and optional membership plans provided part of the answer, but not the whole story.

That means the insurance company’s negotiated rates are still applied, but the patient’s own money goes toward the purchase—without counting toward their deductible.

Your takeaway

For doctors, this raises a subtle but important question: Is using GoodRx always in the patient’s best interest, or are there hidden trade-offs we need to consider when recommending it?

Dr. Alcorn’s take is both a practical and philosophical reminder: Tools that seem patient-friendly on the surface may carry unseen consequences in the complex world of healthcare financing.