Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008 - (Page 35)

High-Tech, Simple Solutions For Improving Patient Care Management BY MARSHALL FLEURANT, MD Patient nonadherence to therapeutic regiments places considerable strain on already limited healthcare resources. By appealing to technologically savvy consumers, several new products are looking to improve medical outcomes while saving money. P rescription medications are the core of most medical treatments. Unfortunately, many patients do not take them as directed. The terms that define this phenomenon are noncompliance and nonadherence, both of which refer to the extent to which a person’s behavior (in terms of medications and lifestyle changes) coincides with medical or health advice. The difference between these terms is subtle. Adherence reflects a more collaborative partnership between patient and healthcare provider, whereas compliance is associated with a relationship in which the provider assumes a paternal role in healthcare decisions and the patient passively follows instructions. Patients who are described as noncompliant or nonadherent typically are associated with a deficiency in their medical treatment and followup, which leads to a detrimental medical outcome. The reasons for this behavior include misunderstandings about treatment and medication side effects, and a lack of patient motivation and involvement in care plans. Marshall Fleurant, MD, is a resident in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He can be reached at «marshall. fleurant@jeffersonhospital.org» Approximately 20 to 50 costs; in 2007, employer percent of patients are nonhealth insurance premiums adherent to therapy (Kriparose by 7.7 percent. Healthlani 2007). Interventions care costs are outpacing that reduce dosing demands other costs of doing busior involve monitoring and ness. feedback have been shown Studies have found that to have the greatest impact actionable messages imMarshall Fleurant, on overall adherence (Kri- MD prove people’s willingness palani 2007). to adhere to therapy. For example, a simple experiment conTAKING ACTION ducted in 1965 found that tetanus vacHow does noncompliance translate cination rates among college students into healthcare dollars? When a drug increased from 3 percent to 28 percent is assessed in clinical trials, an ad- when the students were provided with herence goal of approximately 80 permaps to the university health center cent is expected. This means that it is and a list of office hours (Turpin assumed that patients will take at least 2007). 80 percent of the medication in the The same technique is being used correct dose at the appropriate time. today, but with much more powerful Those patients who do not adhere to tools. Disease management programs that goal will not receive the full ben- and medication reminder systems, for efit from their medication (Osterberg instance, have shown promise in 2005). stemming healthcare-related costs Noncompliance with prescribed and improving medical outcomes by medication regimens costs $100 bilcombining communication technollion a year and is believed to be re- ogy and human behavior. This article introduces five comsponsible for at least 10 percent and panies that have developed commupossibly as much as 28 percent of nication products that are designed to hospital medical admissions (O’Consolve patient adherence and complinor 2006). In total, healthcare expenditures account for approximately 16 ance dilemmas. Emmi Solutions percent of the U.S. gross domestic (www.emmisolutions.com), Intelecare Compliance Solutions (www. product. Increasingly, employers are carrying a larger share of healthcare intelecare.com), and InforMedix SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 · BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE 35 http://www.emmisolutions.com http://www.intelecare.com http://www.intelecare.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008

Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008 Openers Editorial/David B. Nash, MD, MBA Contents At a Glance: Multiple Sclerosis Drug Track Personalized Medicine Healthcare Reform’s Effects on Biologic Access Breast Cancer Status Testing: A Crapshoot With Deadly Odds Trends, Issues, and Perspectives In the Management of MS So High-Tech, Yet So Simple The Evolution of Ascertaining the Value Proposition Specialty Pharmacy Employer to Employer Health Plan Confidential Trends

Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008

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