Medication Nonadherence Adding Up

New research from CVS Caremark Pharmacy Care Research Institute indicates that 25% of patients prescribed medication for a newly diagnosed chronic condition are not filling their initial prescription. Also, 50% of patients taking maintenance medications for a chronic condition will stop taking medication within the first year of therapy. Nearly two-thirds of Americans on medication are nonadherent, which results in approximately 125,000 related deaths each year.

While this health trend puts patients at risk, it also costs the healthcare system nearly $300 billion annually.

According to Troyen Brennan, MD, MPH, executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Caremark, “Too many patients are not taking their medication as directed, and nonadherence is a major public health problem. Patients who do not take medication as directed face deteriorating health and possible hospitalization.”

According to an analysis in Health Affairs published in 2011, the costs for medication nonadherence are high. The following are some of the high-cost conditions associated with medication nonadherence:

            • Heart failure—$8000 annually

            • High blood pressure—$4000 annually

            • Diabetes—$3200 annually

            • High cholesterol—$1200 annually

Dr. Brennan and researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, have examined potential causes for medication nonadherence and came up with the following:

            • Many patients have multiple chronic conditions with different medications for each condition. Keep tracking of all the medications and doses becomes difficult to manage, and patients with multiple prescriptions are less likely to keep on top of them all

            • Medications prescribed for chronic conditions are often costly with out-of-pocket costs and copays adding up. Patients may try to “stretch” their prescriptions by taking less than the dose required to make medications last longer

            • When patients are handed the prescription from their healthcare provider rather than having the prescription sent electronically to the pharmacy, they are less likely to fill the prescription. Dr. Brennan and colleagues also recommend the face-to-face interaction between patients and pharmacists, which can help increase compliance and adherence

For more on the full report from CVS Caremark Pharmacy Care Research Institute, click here.—Kerri Fitzgerald