Consumer Sites for Montana Residents

Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs: Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is a public education project of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. Consumers Union is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace and to empower consumers as they buy products and services. The mission of the Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs project is to provide consumers and their doctors with information to help guide prescription drug choices–based on effectiveness, a drug's track record, safety and price.

Access to Pharmacy Services and Pharmaceuticals in Montana: In 2005, Senate Bill 324, Section 2.2, directed the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to determine the status, needs, and trends of pharmaceutical use in the state. Because pharmacy services may now include clinical monitoring and treatment services in addition to dispensing services, the evaluation was expanded to include this information. The process used to evaluate pharmacy services status, needs, and trends involved secondary analysis of existing data from individual, state, and federal sources. Extra effort was made to identify subpopulations or areas where gaps between needs and access are most likely to occur now or in the near future. Information in the report can be divided into several categories: demographic data related to healthcare access or use, common chronic diseases, pharmaceuticals, and clinical pharmacy services not related to dispensing.