The Frightening Truth About Medication Adherence

While the frightening season of ghouls, ghosts and goblins is upon us, the healthcare industry is facing an even scarier issue – medication adherence. Instead of tricks and treats, prescription drug users are faced with unanswered questions and spats of confusion. According to the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation, the potential savings of fixing the medication adherence issues could be as much as $290 billion a year. Here are more frightening truths about medication non-adherence:

• Only half of consumers take their medications properly.
• Chronic condition patients – the ones that need regular medication the most – are the most likely to fall behind on prescription drug adherence.
• 32 million Americans use three or more medications on a daily basis.
• 75 percent of users practice some form of medication non-adherence.
• Only 30 percent of consumers have their prescriptions refilled.
• Up to 11 percent of hospital admissions are caused by misuse of prescription medications as a result of simple misinformation.

As frightening as these figures are, medication non-adherence doesn’t have to be an issue. PBMs and health plan providers can play a significant role in cutting down the number of cases by providing better information to consumers, and targeting them through preferred messaging. Letting patients know where they can get their prescriptions refilled in-network can help increase the number of consumers who actually maintain their medication. Reminding patients to take their medication as prescribed through text, email or push notifications can help them stay healthy without being intrusive.

Consumers need as much help as they can get in regards to medications, as the pharmaceutical world can be a scary place for a number of individuals. The more information they have and the easier it is for them to access it, the more comfortable they are going to be when it comes to prescription medications. To lessen the fright of medication for your users, contact RxEOB today to find out more about dedicated mHealth solutions for the entire healthcare industry.