Adherence Overview
Everywhere you turn — in industry publications, academic research, conferences, and even the mainstream press — there is something about "drug adherence programs."
However, medication adherence is not a new issue. In fact, the problem of poor patient adherence has been extensively researched, but the rates of non-adherence have not changed much in three decades.1 Recent studies confirm that the failure to take medications as prescribed has a rather costly impact on the U.S. healthcare system, with estimates ranging from $100 billion to $290 billion a year.
WHAT IS ADHERENCE AND WHAT ARE POTENTIAL CORE AREAS OF AN ADHERENCE PROGRAM?
Simply stated, adherence is getting patients to take their medications as prescribed on a regular basis. Nearly two-thirds of Americans who take medications do not take them properly.2 A review of the medical literature shows that the largest increase in adherence and increase in baseline prescriptions filled occur in multi-modal comprehensive programs. Three core areas of an adherence program include education of both the pharmacist and patient, clinical refill reminders or medication synchronization and compliance packaging.
WHY IS ADHERENCE IMPORTANT?
- Increased prescription adherence leads to overall reduction in
healthcare costs in America. The Congressional Budget Office recently
estimated that a 1% increase in the number of prescriptions filled by
Medicare beneficiaries would cause Medicare spending on medical services
to fall by roughly 0.2% ($1.7B).3
- The Affordable Care Act has tied health plan reimbursements to Star Ratings. Adherence improvement contributes significantly to improved Star Ratings.4
- Improvement in adherence will generate incremental scripts for the pharmacy
- As a result of their training and engagement in the Pharmacy Intervention Program as part of McKesson's Sponsored Clinical Services Network, top-performing pharmacies are generating an average of four more refills per year for each patient coached
- In a recent study conducted by Thrifty White and Virginia Commonwealth University,5 medication synchronization resulted in improved patient adherence and reduced the likelihood of non-persistence. Compared to a control group, patients on a medication synchronization program showed a 37 percent increase in adherence equating to 2.8 incremental refills per script in a 12-month period.
- It is the right thing to do professionally as pharmacists
THE HEALTH MART PHARMACIST'S ROLE IN DRIVING ADHERENCE
As trusted and accessible healthcare providers, Health Mart pharmacists have an increasingly valuable and proven role to play in helping to increase medication adherence. By making medication adherence a priority for your pharmacy and your patients, everyone benefits. It starts by talking to every patient about the importance of taking their medications as prescribed.
Click here to review three key components to improve adherence and six actions you can take today to make an impact.
ADHERENCE RESOURCES
Health Mart and McKesson provide a variety of tools and resources to help you and your pharmacy focus on improving medication adherence.
|
Key Components of Adherence Program |
Solution |
Where to Find More Information |
|---|---|---|
|
Education Leverage education available for pharmacists to maximize and enhance your patient education |
Behavioral coaching (i.e. motivational interviewing), disease state education, counseling best practices |
Health Mart University: Training & Education |
|
Refill Reminder Proactively alert patients when it is time to refill maintenance or chronic medications through reminders or med sync |
Medication synchronization |
|
|
Compliance Packaging Proactively alert patients when it is time to refill maintenance or chronic medications through reminders or med sync |
Cold seal blister packaging, medication pouches |
|
References
2. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research; Public Opinion Strategies. Lack of Medication Adherence Harms Americans' Health Results from a U.S. National Survey of Adults. May 2, 2013
3. Congressional Budget Office. Offsetting Effects of Prescription Drug Use on Medicare's Spending for Medical Services. November 2012.
4. CMS. Medicare Health & Drug Plan Quality and Performance Ratings 2013 Part C & Part D Technical Notes. 08/09/2012 5. Holdford, David; Inocencio, Timothy. Appointment-Based Model (ABM) Data Analysis Report prepared for Thrifty White Pharmacy.
5. Holdford, David; Inocencio, Timothy. Appointment-Based Model (ABM) Data Analysis Report prepared for Thrifty White Pharmacy.
