Take Your Medicine: The Growing Cost of Patient Non-adherence

Patient medication non-adherence is collectively costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars, but mHealth solutions from firms such as RxEOB can help keep patients healthy and cut down on such waste.

According to an analysis by Mark Egan and Tomas J. Philipson of the University of Chicago, non-adherence is a major source of waste in U.S. health care, totaling about 2.3 percent of the country’s GDP. That’s an approximate $290 billion – roughly 13 percent of all health care spending.

The problem has caught the attention of the major health care players including pharmacy giants. According to CVS Caremark, as many as three out of four Americans do not take their medications as prescribed.

As reported by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, however, patients actually have to understand what they are supposed to do before they can follow medical recommendations. This is where the crux of the problem lies.

This is also where were mHealth solutions, such as the Mercury Messaging platform, come in. Health care organizations can use these platforms to reach members through secure and preferred channels such as text messaging, email, native apps and push notifications. These solutions can help remind and educate patients to take their medications as prescribed.

Using text messaging to remind patients to take medication for chronic conditions has proved a successful means of increasing medication compliance, which leads to better results for patients. A University of Chicago Medicine pilot program using text message reminders for diabetes showed direct results in helping improve patient health.

The University of Chicago Medicine text messaging program also demonstrated a significant health care cost decrease compared to before the test period. The total cost of care dropped by $812 per participant, reflecting a savings of $1,332 in inpatient, outpatient and emergency department visits.

To learn more about the products that RxEOB offers that can help drive higher levels of medication compliance, please contact RxEOB at 804-643-1540 ext. 226.