Use Technology - Connect with Patients

Tip #71 in the APhA booklet, "100 Tips for the Pharmacist", describes how pharmacies can use automated email or phone reminders to connect with patients who are having compliance issues. (That's about 50% of all patients, if the stats are right!)

Several major pharmacy chains heavily promote the convenience of their auto-fill service, which sounds good and is supposed to improve compliance - in thoery. However, there is a very real potential backlash effect to these programs.

If patients haven't taken all of their pills consistently, they obviously won't "need" their Rx refilled on a consistent basis either. In fact, when a mail-order auto-refill arrives, and there are still a lot of pills left, the patient may think this is just another "senior rip-off" to sell more drugs. Sure looks that way...

When a patient fails to pick up the auto-fill in the pharmacy, someone will have to put the drugs back in stock, reverse the claim or credit card charge, and fill it all over again, when the patient finally does run out. That's a duplication of effort, and total waste of time and supplies. Medicare pays out enough already without creating stockpiles of medications that aren't being taken and may potentially wind up being shared with others.

Instead of focusing on automating prescription refills , the pharmacy should be more focused on helping the patient to take the pills routinely. Then an auto-fill program makes perfect sense.

A simple automated phone call reminder or two on a daily basis, or automated email/text messages could very effectively remind the patient to take each dose, and everyone would benefit.

We have the technology. It just needs to be utilized and provided to the patient by those who have the most to gain.

So... who benefits?

1. Big pharma!!! Better compliance sells more product and reduces therapy drop-out. Big pharma really has the most to gain and the resources to provide this service.
2. Insurers!!! Better compliance reduces costs by eliminating unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
3. Patients!!! Better compliance improves disease management and keeps patients healthier.
4. Everyone!!! Better compliance would keep costs down and that benefits the entire health care system.