What do we know?
We have long said that medication adherence is the influential lever that can lower healthcare waste, which ranges from $105 to $300 billion annually. However, without medication fill there can be no medication adherence. Studies have shown that the percentage of patients who never get their medications filled are between 28% and 31%.
In addition to the percentage of patients who never get their medications filled, other barriers such as drug costs and prior authorizations requirements also factor as reasons for medication nonadherence.
What has this information taught us?
We have learned that achieving meaningful alignment among manufacturers, patients, payers and clinicians appears to be more difficult than summiting Mount Everest. The shift to value-based care has the potential to be an alignment and adherence improvement catalyst.
Here’s an example of the challenge. We know of a Texas patient who was referred to and seen by a leading provider four states away. However, this patient, who travelled to the provider’s office for both the initial and follow up visits and was issued an prescription during their first appointment, didn’t fill their prescription in the three months between visits. The reason why? The patient said they hadn’t received the medication as the insurance payment hadn’t been approved. The patient was unable to afford the drug paying out-of-pocket.
This is prime example of how we must collectively do what is needed to ensure the gaps between patients and their care teams shrink and medication adherence increases.
What is most needed now?
Given the tall barriers that contribute to medication nonadherence, the tools we need to put in place to combat this issue are as follows: access, technology and last but not least, the human hand.
To read how we incorporate these tools in our personalized medication management services, read Marc’s full article in Specialty Pharmacy Times.
To learn more about Curant Health, contact Senior Marketing Director, Kristin Lindsey, at klindsey@curanthealth.com.