5 Critical Facts about Adherence and their Implications for Population Health

Non-adherence for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension is extremely common – more common than you might think. Furthermore, non-adherence is largely perceived as a “patient issue” and not a massive problem with implications for physicians or health systems.

However, the results of non-adherence impact healthcare providers greatly, resulting in hospital readmissions, rising costs of care, and even higher rates of morbidity. In this new value-based world of health care, adherence is a crucial link between treatment and outcomes for a patient.

1. Most of the top barriers to adherence are behavioral or cognitive in nature or are related to the patient’s environment. These top barriers include:

• Lack of motivation
• Depression
• Denial
• Cognitive Impairment
• Cultural issues
• Low educational level

• Alternate belief systems
• Complexity of treatment
• Side effects or fear of side effects
• Inconvenience
• Cost
• Time

2. Medication non-adherence results in an estimated 125,000 preventable deaths a year.

3. It’s been estimated that roughly half of the 3.2 billion medications prescribed in the U.S. every year aren’t filled or taken as prescribed.

4. Non-adherence worsens morbidity. Approximately 33% to 69% of medication-related hospital admissions are due to poor adherence.

5. Healthcare costs ranging from $100-$300 billion have been attributed to non-adherence in the U.S. annually. This comprises 3% to 10% of total U.S. health care costs.

“Increasing the effectiveness of adherence interventions may have far greater impact on the health of the population than any improvement in specific medical treatments.”-World Health Organization

By improving the adherence to prescribed medications, we can positively influence many facets of healthcare, including overall population health, costs of care, and hospital readmission rates. It is not easy for humans to alter their behavior, even for minor behaviors such as taking a prescribed medication. Each individual patient has their own set of motivators, behaviors, educational background, and barriers that impact the activation (or lack thereof) of their care.

In order to increase medication adherence, it is important to treat the entire person, not just their condition. Through a combination of Behavioral Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, increased resiliency in patients can be achieved in order to better engage them in their daily life, at home, at work, and at play.

GoMo Health applies its BehavioralRx science to our solutions for medication adherence in order to increase overall human resiliency. As a result, better outcomes are reported, and overall treatment care plans are more successful.

Gaps in Care

A gap in care is defined as the discrepancy between recommended best practices and the care that is actually provided. The most common gaps in care are:

• Individuals missing age-based or seasonal screenings or vaccines.
• Patients not consulting with doctors about a prescribed medication.
• Individuals not adding a medication to meet evidence-based guidelines.

Client Example: Monroe Plan for Medical Care