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Medication Adherence Statistics

  • Writer: Scripta
    Scripta
  • Feb 13, 2012
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jan 17, 2020


February 13, 2012 – Over 125,000 Americans die annually (342 people every day), just because they failed to take their medications as prescribed.


Scripta has proved that we can save money for both self-funded organizations and their employees, but it’s not just about the money. Our mission is to save lives by making sure that people can afford their medications. After all, almost 42% of Americans complain about the price of prescription drugs, and statistics show that many of those will split pills, skip doses, or otherwise disobey doctor’s orders.


Nicole Lofholm Clause, writing for Living Well, notes that, “According to PhRMA (2011), 32 million Americans use three or more medications daily. Out of those Americans, 75% of adults are non-adherent in one or more ways.” Unsurprisingly, the average adherance rate for medications taken only once daily is nearly 80%, compared to about 50% for treatments that must be taken 4 times a day.


The situation among seniors is equally bleak, though medicare tends to foot the bill, “In a poll of people 65 and older who use medications, researchers found that 51% take at least five different prescription drugs regularly, and one in four take between 10 and 19 medications each day. 57% of those polled admit that they forget to take their medications.”


Importantly, 10-25% of hospital and nursing home admissions are caused by the inability of patients to take their medications as directed. That brings us right back to the economic impact. The estimated annual cost of all those patients not taking their medications as prescribed was $290 billion in emergency-room visits and other avoidable medical expenses.

 

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Scripta™ is neither a pharmacy nor a doctor. The benefit service does not tell you what drug to take and does not participate in the drug selection process. Only your physician can determine the medications that are right for you. These alternative medications are options for less costly drugs that physicians may prescribe in place of the medications you are taking now. Scripta has reviewed your current medications only for the purpose of identifying potential cost savings for you to consider with your physician. Scripta has not analyzed the effectiveness or other therapeutic aspects of these medication alternatives. Accordingly, this report and any other forms of communication received from Scripta are not, nor should they be interpreted as, any form of treatment, drug regimen review, or provision of counseling or consultation by a prescriber, pharmacist or pharmacy. Do not stop taking your medication, change your medication, or start taking a new medication without being directed to do so by your physician and filling the prescription under the oversight of a licensed pharmacist. The alternatives set forth above may not be equivalent to your current medication, may interact adversely with your other medications, may not be indicated in light of your other conditions, may cause different or severe side effects, or may be less effective at treating your condition. Medication prices are approximate based on information provided by your pharmacy benefits manager, insurance plans, and/or employer, and may vary from pharmacy to pharmacy. Check with your insurance plan to obtain a full list of pharmacies where your prescriptions can be filled. All information herein is HIPAA protected, treated as highly confidential, and never shared with your employer.

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