The Official Medtipster Blog

Adhering to medication means taking the medication correctly, as instructed by a health care professional. This includes filling and refilling the prescription, taking it regularly, and continuing to take it for as long as prescribed. While this may seem simple, the World Health Organization has reported an average medication adherence rate of only 50 percent for people with chronic illnesses in developed countries. So, why is only half of the population taking their medicines as prescribed? Moreover, why is it important to adhere to your medication regimen anyway? Read on to find out why it’s important and how you can improve your adherence.

Why Adherence Matters?

Simply put, it can improve your overall quality of life. Evidence suggests that for many chronic illnesses, higher medication adherence reduces hospital visits. Fewer visits to the hospital mean lower medical costs as well.

Adherence to medication may be ‘easier said than done’ for many people. There are a variety of barriers that may make it difficult for patients to follow their medication therapy. Here are a few of those barriers and suggestions for how to get around them.

Cost

Often times, patients just cannot afford their medications. Perhaps there are alternative drugs available that do not cost as much. Talk with your prescriber or pharmacist. They may be able to help you find a more affordable drug.

You can also visit the Medtipster website, www.medtipster.com, to determine the cost of a prescription. The tool can help you compare the price on related drug products.

Side Effects

Your medicine may trigger unpleasant side effects, causing you to stop taking it. Talk to your doctor about these side effects. They may be able to switch you to a different medicine to reduce the side effects. They may also have suggestions for minimizing the side effects. Your doctor has your best interest in mind and is a knowledgeable resource to help improve your quality of life.

Feeling Better

There are five pills left, but you started to feel better and decided to stop taking your medicine. Before you stop, talk to your prescriber. Stopping early may cause more health problems. For instance, if a patient has a bacterial infection and stops taking his or her medicine early, some bacteria may still be alive. These bacteria could start a whole new strain of resistant germs. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2009). Even though you may feel better, try to continue to take your medicine(s).

Forgetfulness

Make taking your medicine a part of your daily routine. Once you are used to taking your medicines regularly, it will not seem like a burden on your lifestyle. Buying a pill minder dispenser may help; it’s an easy daily reminder to take your medicine. Write down a schedule of when to take your medicines or add it to the calendar on your electronic device.

Health Care Beliefs and Attitudes

Some patients hold certain beliefs or attitudes that stop them from being adherent to their medication regimen. For example, a patient may believe that taking a medication as prescribed will not lead to a predicted outcome or that a particular disease state is not significant or will not lead to severe untoward outcomes. Talk with your prescriber about your beliefs. He or she may have more information about your illness and medicine than you know.  Your prescriber can tell you why it is in your best interest to adhere to taking your medicine(s).

Adhering to your medicine can improve your overall quality of life, so take care to adhere to your prescribed medication regimen. For a better result, you will be glad you attended to your health.

■ Don’t use providers that aren’t in your network. Most plans have lowered how much they will pay for doctors or facilities not in your network, while some won’t pay for out-of-network providers at all.

■ Review how prescriptions are reimbursed under your coverage. Many plans are now offering reimbursement based on a percentage of the retail cost of a drug, which can add up quickly. If you pay a percentage instead of a co-pay, compare prices at different pharmacies.

■ Prepare for a doctor visit ahead of time if you anticipate a prescription, diagnosis or treatment plan. You should have your benefits summary with you as well as your drug formulary to know how much you’ll pay for a prescription before you leave the office. You can also pull up prices at local facilities on your tablet or phone at www.medtipster.com to discuss choices with your doctor.

■ Read your benefits summary carefully to know what’s in your plan, and what isn’t.

■ Shop for the lowest priced facility for diagnostic tests. Hospital-based services are often priced higher than independent facilities.

www.Medtipster.com Source: Drug Channels, 3/6/2013

Express Scripts just released the latest iteration of its long-running Drug Trend Report. This year’s report includes both Express Scripts and legacy-Medco covered lives, so it’s the most comprehensive look at pricing and utilization.

Study findings

• Specialty drug trend of 18.4% dominated traditional drug trend of -1.5%.
• Drug trend for traditional drugs fell to a record-low -1.5%, due largely to the growing substitution of less-expensive generic drugs.
  • Utilization increased by 0.6%, but costs decreased by 2.2%.
• Drug trend for specialty drugs was 18.4%, consistent with its high growth rate over the past six years.
  • Utilization decreased by 0.4%, while costs increased by 18.7%.
• Specialty spending is concentrated in a few conditions. For traditional drugs, treatments for the top three conditions of diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and high blood pressure–accounted for 30% of total per-member, per year (PMPY) spend.
• For specialty drugs, treatments for the top three conditions–inflammatory conditions, multiple sclerosis, and cancer–accounted for 58% of total PMPY spend.
• Trend reflects two primary components
• Change in Utilization (the total quantity of drugs obtained by plan members)–Utilization varies with changes in the number of plan members on drug therapy, the degree to which plan members are adherent to their drug therapy, and a change in the average number of days of treatment.
• Change in Unit Costs–Unit costs vary with:
• 1) the rate of inflation in brand-name drugs prices,
• 2) shifts to different drug options within a therapeutic class,
• 3) a shift in mix of therapeutic classes utilized by plan members, or
• 4) the substitution of generic drugs for brand-name drugs.