Content about Compliance

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Changes in healthcare consumption, advances in technology and support from pharmacists are among seven new trends that could affect programs designed to improve medication adherence, according to a new study by McKesson.

The company said the trends confirmed what it called the need for comprehensive adherence solutions that include technology and personalized interactions to help physicians, pharmacists and manufacturers address issues that keep patients from taking their medications as prescribed.

It’s been cited as one of the biggest health crises facing the United States and, if solved, the equivalent dollar value of a blockbuster drug. According to the latest statistics from pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts, poor medication adherence costs the country $317 billion per year, an upgrade from the $290 billion calculated in a study released in 2009 by the New England Healthcare Institute.


CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid maintained its same-store sales momentum, posting gains across front-end and pharmacy comparable sales for the sixth consecutive quarter: Overall same-store sales were up 2.5%, reflecting a 2.7% increase across the front-end and a 2.4% uptick across pharmacy, for the first quarter ended June 2. Comparable prescriptions filled were up 3%, much of that from prescriptions coming out of the Walgreens-Express Scripts dispute (patients that Rite Aid plans on keeping), but that isn't the only reason Rite Aid's pharmacy business is on the rise.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association currently is accepting nominations for awards that will be presented at the group's annual convention and trade expo this fall.

In healthcare technology circles, e-prescribing is among today’s hottest topics. A vital component of patient-centered care, it creates a connectivity platform that encourages collaboration between the physician and pharmacist who are in joint pursuit of an enhanced patient experience.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — A new Walgreens study released Thursday found that a pharmacist-led training and counseling program for patients receiving an injectable diabetes medication improved medication adherence by 24%.

The most effective way to get patients to stick with their medication regimens all the way through their therapy, it turns out, is to give the job to community pharmacists. That means giving them time and adequate compensation to do what they do best: counsel and monitor patients, one-on-one.

Behind the common-sense conclusion that pharmacists can be the most effective resource for improving patients' drug adherence rates is a new study from CVS Caremark.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The $317 billion problem of medication nonadherence has many sources that often combine and overlap in complex ways. But fears of whether a drug is safe and will work are among of the most frequently cited reasons why patients don't take their drugs as prescribed, or don't take them at all.

Medication nonadherence costs the U.S. healthcare system about $290 billion per year, according to New England Healthcare Institute. That big and scary number — the kind whose sheer enormity can make one’s eyes glaze over — is now even bigger.


ARLINGTON, Va. — More than one-third of prescriptions were sent electronically in 2011, the country's largest e-prescribing network said.

Surescripts issued an executive summary of its annual e-prescribing progress report Thursday showing that 570 million prescriptions, or 36% of the total, were sent electronically, a 75% increase over 2010's 326 million. In addition, 317,000 office-based physicians, or 58%, were e-prescribing, compared with 1-in-10 three years ago.

WASHINGTON — The philanthropic arm of the American Pharmacists Association has announced this year's recipients of an award that recognizes pharmacists who increase medication adherence, reduce drug misadventures and promote the use of national treatment guidelines.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The study's findings that the Part D coverage gap — or “doughnut hole” — led to a significant gap in the adherence of cardiovascular medications may not come as a complete surprise; however, it undoubtedly underscores the important role that pharmacy can play in helping patients navigate plan strategies that promote the use of lower-cost medications.