Mitigating Poor Medication Adherence with Medesto

The definition of medication adherence seems simple but putting it into practice isn’t easy. Poor medication adherence accounts for about 13% of U.S. healthcare expenditures,or $290 billion each year.  It is also directly tied to increased morbidity, mortality, and a wide range of avoidable healthcare costs.

According to the AMA, most patients only take their medicine as prescribed about half the time, while a quarter of new prescriptions are never filled.1 Although non-adherence can occur from forgetfulness, most patients intentionally decide to forego treatment due to cost, fear, and confusion around therapy.

While drug innovation has rapidly increased over the last decade, so has the price tag. Despite the positive clinical outcomes these drugs can offer, many patients ration medication by splitting doses to extend their supply, or don’t fill prescriptions from the start due to the financial burden. Additionally, patients are often frightened by potential/existing side effects or becoming dependent on a drug, while others lack symptoms and believe their condition is under control. 

So how do we turn the tables on non-adherence?

Thanks to technology, there are plenty of digital apps on the market that remind people to take their medications. These solutions work great for patients who want to adhere to their regimen and just need a digital nudge to help them along the way. But what about their other concerns- the ones that go unidentified until it’s too late? Patient’s need help overcoming treatment barriers that occur in-between doctor’s appointments so they can achieve their health goals.

The biggest opportunity to fix the non-adherence problem lies within the capabilities of digital tools and remote patient management. Imagine a home-based health-tech solution that addresses adherence from every angle and alleviates poor outcomes related to gaps in care. Perigon Health 360 not only imagined it; they’ve created it.

Medesto, Perigon Health 360’s innovative digital health platform, is a patient-centric tool that converges humans and technology to produce a unified outcome – greater patient adherence. So how does it work? Let’s unpack all that is Medesto.

What is Medesto?

Medesto is an enterprise drug and therapy monitoring platform that consolidates remote monitoring services into one portal and simplifies the complex task of connecting medication dispensing devices and physiological devices for a 360 view of the patient’s health. Additionally, Medesto enhances the user-experience by adding pharmacy services, disease state insights, and behavior modification in order to improve medication adherence through the convenience of a mobile health app.

Sharing is Caring

Reminding patients to take a medication is just the beginning. The Medesto App sends patient’s medication reminders and informs them of potential side effects or possible drug interactions to be aware of during treatment.  This keeps patients on track, reduces worry of the unknown and gives them a better understanding about what to expect from therapy. Furthermore, Perigon Health 360 doesn’t believe in a “go-it-alone” approach. Medesto captures real-time adherence data and vital health metrics that can be shared with caregivers and physicians to streamline communication and offer total patient support.

A Trusted Advisor

Pharmacists are an integral part of patient care and have a deep understanding about adherence issues. That’s why Medesto has a direct link to a pharmacist who proactively reaches out to patients based on system alerts triggered by critical health data. This opens the door for conversations about adherence roadblocks related to issues such as cost, health literacy, and treatment fatigue, all in a supportive environment. Through ongoing communication, pharmacists can reduce patient anxiety, provide helpful financial and educational resources and empower individuals to make educated choices that positively impact their health outcomes.

The Importance of Being Direct

Offering patients quick and convenient access to care eliminates pauses in therapy. The Medesto app allows patients to directly message a pharmacy representative with any question, at any time.  Responses are also logged in the app for easy reference and patients never have to second-guess the information they received. Furthermore, caregivers (with access) have visibility to key communications about care.

Through Perigon Health 360’s comprehensive digital platform, Medesto is chipping away at non-adherence and offering patients a solid home-based solution to navigate treatment obstacles at every step of their health journey.

Sources:

  1. 8 reasons patients don’t take their medications | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)