Dive Brief:
- In a study published last Friday, the CVS Health Research Institute found CVS' prescription refill program improved medication adherence. Patients who participated in CVS' ReadyFill program had a higher level of medication adherence compared to a control group that did not participate.
- This research was the first to show a connection between a refill program and higher medication adherence. The study included data from over 250,000 CVS/caremark members who filled 30-day or 90-day prescriptions for one of 11 common chronic conditions.
- CVS estimated issues related to medication adherence costs the U.S. healthcare system approximately $300 billion a year.
Dive Insight:
Roughly half of Americans are prescribed to maintenance medications for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure. As previously reported in Healthcare Dive, almost 60% of U.S. adults took at least one prescription pill between 2011 and 2012 and 15% took five or more.
ReadyFill was launched in 2009 to coordinate medications and remind patients about refilling prescriptions. Previously, refill programs had sparked concern about oversupplying patients with drugs, according to a prepared statement from CVS Health.
The new study, published online in the American Journal of Managed Care, demonstrated medication adherence was higher in 30-day and 90-day prescription groupings by 3 points and 1.4 points respectively, as measured by medication possession ratios. Importantly, the program reduced days of drug oversupply by more than 2 days in both groups compared to the control group.
These results could be meaningful as they demonstrate refill programs are effective in improving efficiency and reducing waste from oversupply.