Reasons Behind Non-Adherence in Patients

PBIRx®

Intelligent Solutions in Pharmacy Benefits

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(888) 797-2479

When presented with a medication or other health care service, one would naturally assume that the patient who received it would follow through. However, recent reports have shown that many patients actually fail to comply with several health care services, particularly prescription medications, and unfortunately, this has led to an increase in health care costs.

Earlier this month, Express Scripts reported that "non-adherence is a major contributor to skyrocketing health care costs as well as higher rates of hospital and ER visits for patients who do not take their medications." But why exactly are patients leaving their medications in the dust? Well, the report further explained that 69% of non-adherence by patients is a result of certain behaviors such as forgetfulness, procrastination and even confusion; when patients have multiple medications to take, it can be easy to get things mixed up. Additionally, aside from the patient's own behavior, the cost of such medications has also proven to be a cause of non-adherence in 16% of cases. Lastly, 15% of non-adherence is due to clinical side effects, according to the data provided by Express Scripts.

So what can be done to combat this issue? First and foremost, if a medication is too expensive or causes severe side effects, the first plan of action should be to switch it for that particular patient. Or, if there is no alternative, health care providers should work with the patient as closely as they can to make their current situation work. If copayments for mail order prescriptions and if mail order discounts are competitively negotiated by an independent third party like PBIRx, home delivery for medications can offer patients reminders so that they don't lose track of when it's time to take or renew a medication.

To learn more about non-adherence in patients, including how it is directly linked to rising health care costs, check out this article from HealthIT Analytics.

At PBIRx, we understand just how big a role non-adherence plays in health care costs. And as a company whose main priority is to reduce costs wherever possible for our clients, we encourage you to contact us if you're struggling to keep up with the rise in prices for prescription medications so that we can audit your pharmacy benefit plan. For more information, please call (888) 797-2479 or visit us at www.pbirx.com today.