People don’t fill their prescriptions for a number of reasons.
Some have hang-ups about going to the pharmacy. Some forget. Some convince themselves that they don’t need the medication their doctor prescribed.
Of course, the poor face far more obstacles in filling prescriptions. They often lack access to reliable transportation and their work schedules are often less flexible.
Community mental health centers can be more effective at treating patients if they include on-site pharmacies, a new study suggests.
Analyzing data on Medicaid patients who were prescribed medication for mental conditions by community mental health centers, researchers found that those who were treated at facilities that included pharmacies were more likely to adhere to their prescription.
In addition, the study found that such patients were 40 percent less likely to be hospitalized and 18 percent less likely to incur emergency department costs. As a result, Medicaid spent an average of $58 less a month on such patients, or $700,000 per 1,000 patients annually.
The study was supported by Genoa Pharmacies, which runs the clinics. It was published, however, in the Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy, a peer-reviewed publication.
Genoa Pharmacies, which runs the pharmacies that are included in the study, was delighted by the results.
“Millions of individuals with mental illness do not take their medications as prescribed, limiting their ability to overcome often debilitating symptoms and leading to higher health care costs,” said Mark Peterson, Genoa’s chief commercial officer and a co-author of the study. “This study shows that centralizing clinical and pharmaceutical care for mental illness results in higher rates of medication adherence, which helps people live productive lives and reduces health care spending.”
Both public and private health payers are increasingly pushing providers to move towards a more integrated treatment approach, in which providers are paid for an entire “episode” of care, rather than for each individual test, prescription or operation. Facilities that include multiple services, such as physician consultations and pharmacies, make that approach to medicine easier.
Source: Benefits Pro
Posted by: The Wealthy Doctor
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