ABSTRACT
Polypharmacy in the elderly is extremely common (1-3). Older adults in the United States spend billions of dollars each year on prescription medications, and third-party payers reimburse only a small percentage of these medications. Although only 13% of the United States population, the older population fill approximately one third of all prescriptions written each year and almost half of all over-the-counter medications purchased annually. Approximately 90% of Americans over age 65 take at least one prescription medication daily, and most take two or more.
