According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and reported on the American Medical Association’s sister news outlet, American Medical News, physicians may be able to increase patient adherence to medication requirements through careful tracking of this information on the patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR).
A Growing Healthcare Concern
The issue of medication noncompliance may, in fact, represent a looming social issue and significant burden on the current healthcare system. One peer-reviewed study in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported eye-opening statistics with regard to this trend. According to researchers, 20% to 30% of prescriptions are never filled by patients and 50% of medications prescribed for chronic illness are taken improperly.
The Cost of Medication Noncompliance
According the study, medication non-compliance represents a financial burden on the U.S. healthcare system to the tune of between $100 billion and $289 billion every single year. The study reported that medication noncompliance was also directly responsible for approximately 125,000 annual deaths and at least 10% of yearly hospitalizations.
Treatment: The Prescription Is In
The researchers from the JAMA study recommend that medical staff begin “to view medication non-adherence as a diagnosable and treatable medical condition.” They further suggest that incorporating objective screening tools and other measures of patient medication compliance into a patient’s EHR may be an ideal way to gather and share this vital information with all health care providers.
Other recommendations to increase case management and behavioral support for high-risk patients coalesce nicely with the EHR-based treatment plan, since proper electronic tracking would allow medical professionals to communicate with each other, sister facilities and the patient. Overall, a partnership of technology and human interaction may be the ideal prescription for addressing this growing issue and reducing steep costs on both the patients and the healthcare system at large.
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