TIPHealth® is dedicated to Improving Treatment and Medication Adherence in America
Medication Non-Adherence… A 290 Billion Dollar A Year Challenge
Marilyn Standifer Shreve is a pharmacist who is helping todays clinicians employ ADHERENCE TECHNOLOGY to expand their voice, reach and care beyond the walls of the medial office, pharmacy, hospital and other traditional practice settings.
The Problem—the What’s:
The health care system in the United States is in crisis. One of the of greatest health care threats we face in the 21st Century, is that nationwide up to half of the more than 4.6 billion prescriptions written for patients each year are not used correctly (medication non-adherence). Non-adherence to treatment regimens and medication therapy has long been recognized as a substantial roadblock to achieving improved patient health outcomes.1
It has been well documented that the consequences of non-adherence to a prescribed therapy affects almost every aspect of our health care system—costing our nation’s economy an estimated 290 billion dollars annually or 10 percent of the total U.S. health care costs.2
Americans are dying in record numbers from heart disease, the complications of diabetes, cancer and a long list of other conditions—many of these chronic diseases are lifestyle-induced and can be managed by medication therapy.
We know that right this minute 50% of the patients with chronic diseases will stop taking their medications within the first six months of starting their treatment regimen. One study suggests that non-adherence to glaucoma medication therapy is an ongoing barrier to treatment with more than half of glaucoma patients remaining non-adherent even after significant vision loss.”
Who is paying the price for the epidemic of poor medication Adherence? We all are—and the costs are substantial.
Medication non-adherence is a problem that affects all demographic and socio-economic levels; applies to all chronic conditions; diminishes the ability to treat diabetes, heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, glaucoma, asthma and many other diseases; and, results in undue suffering and even death.¹
Finding new ways to improve the delivery of health care and to elevate medication non-adherence to the status of a serious public health issue, has never been more important.
The 290 Billion dollar brash challenge is waiting to be addressed.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.”
–Goethe
What do you think?