OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Poor medication adherence is a public health issue. Roughly half of patients don’t take medications as prescribed, resulting in poor clinical outcomes and costing the healthcare system up to $289 billion per year.
Pharmacists have unique expertise and opportunities to positively influence medication adherence by their patients – including understanding their directions for use, remembering to take medications, and filling their prescriptions regularly.
A recent pilot program showed that, when armed with the right tools, pharmacists can have a significant impact on medication adherence, increasing the proportion of days covered by up to 30 percent.
“Taking a patient-centered approach creates the opportunity to engage at a higher level and improve adherence,” said Todd Wormington, R.Ph, MBA, the Vice President of Pharmacy Programs for Pharmacy First. “The payoff not only is healthier, happier patients, it’s also lower healthcare costs for everyone.”
Pharmacy First and CSS Health partnered to develop a pilot program examining the impact of an appointment-based synchronization and compliance packaging program on patient adherence scores, as measured using proportion of days covered.
Medication synchronization involves coordinating refills for every medication in a patient’s therapeutic regimen. Compliance packaging consists of individually color-coded packages that help patients know what medications to take and when.
After six months, positive changes in adherence were observed across various chronic disease states, including diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, cardiovascular disease and mental health.
On average, individual patients’ adherence increased by 18.3 percent over six months. The impact was even more dramatic for patients who had struggled to adhere to their medications, with prescription fills increasing by more than 30 percent.
“The most effective way for pharmacists to positively impact medication adherence is to change patient behavior and make the entire process easier for the patient,” said Perry Larson, chief operating officer for Medicine-On-Time, a leader in the medication adherence market.
About Pharmacy First
Serving over 2,300 independent pharmacies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Pharmacy First provides services and support to keep its members competitive in an evolving market. Pharmacy First eases the administrative overhead of independent pharmacy operations by assisting with credentialing, third-party contract management and reconciliation, quality assurance, medication adherence services and more. For more information, call 800-460-1575 or visit pharmacyfirst.com.
About CSS Health
CSS Health provides an expanding line of compliance drug packaging solutions for pharmacies, as well as comprehensive Medication Therapy Management (MTM) for pharmacies, health plans, facilities and patients. Their dedicated leadership team has deep and broad experience in pharmacy, medication adherence and payer services. CSS Health brings together Medicine-On-Time, a leader in multi-dose compliance packaging and prescription management software, and Clinical Support Services, a leader in MTM clinical software and services, in an end-to-end medication management solution. For more information about CSS Health, visit www.csshealth.com.
