Argus Eye on Pharma

Improving patient outcomes is a common goal in healthcare, and medication compliance and adherence are critical to this goal. Patients with chronic disease states such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma often require additional support to begin therapy and stay compliant due to the "silent" nature of the conditions. Reducing barriers such as non-preferred copays and high dollar deductibles can play a critical role in this effort. Another obstacle to patient adherence is often the lack of clear or useful information. Enabling patients, prescribers and pharmacists with refill reminders and other communication tools can also lead to benefits for all stakeholders. The positive effects of these strategies have been demonstrated by several studies such as the Pitney Bowes case study¹ and the Asheville Project², which both showed an overall savings in healthcare dollars and improved patient compliance.

Current trends in the managed care industry such as a multi-tier benefit, "specialty" tier, coinsurance instead of copay, consumer directed healthcare, health savings accounts, prior authorization and multi-step therapy can all add to the need for assistance in beginning or maintaining drug therapy. Formulary challenges and category competition continue to increase as new medications and generics come to market at an increasing pace, creating a greater need to differentiate your product with programs that provide additional benefit to patients and healthcare providers. And a continuing increase in the number of patients with little or no healthcare coverage reveal the necessity for patient assistance programs that will help reduce the cost barrier for these patients. The dual challenge of controlling healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes will continue to become more complicated as we move forward. We are prepared to assist you as your company searches for solutions in this challenging process.

 

References
1. The American Journal of Managed Care. Benefit-based Copays in the Real World: The Employer Perspective: http://www.ajmc.com/Article.cfm?Menu=1&ID=3220. Accessed March 3, 2008.
2. American Pharmacists Association Foundation. Asheville Project: http://www.aphafoundation.org/programs/Asheville_Project/. Accessed March 3, 2008.