The Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA) recently published a meta-analysis, finding that patients are three times as likely to be adherent to their medications if they are enrolled in an appointment-based medication synchronization (med sync) program. The JAPhA article recommended that payers should consider reimbursing pharmacies for med sync programs in order to reduce nonadherence. The industry-leading med sync solution from EnlivenHealth™ is deployed at more than 23,000 pharmacy locations nationwide.
Medication nonadherence is a multi-billion problem for the US healthcare system. Recent studies report that the annual cost of prescription drug-related morbidity and mortality resulting from nonoptimized medication therapy, including medication nonadherence, is over $500 billion.1
“Medication synchronization is an integral part of our practice transformation strategy,” said Duane Jones, BS Pharm, pharmacy district manager and clinical program director at Harps Food Stores. “With med sync our pharmacists can efficiently manage their current medication dispensing needs by providing patients with a convenient monthly appointment to pick up their prescription refills. Crucially, this appointment-based approach strongly enhances our patients’ adherence. At the same time, the med sync solution gives our staff the time to focus on administering the COVID-19 vaccine and providing other value-added services that keep our patients healthy while driving pharmacy business results. EnlivenHealth™ has been an indispensable partner in building and executing Harps’ successful med sync program.”
“As one of the most effective solutions to the persistent problem of nonadherence, med sync is playing a central role in transforming both the practice and business of retail pharmacy,” said Danny Sanchez, vice president and general manager of EnlivenHealth™. “The true power of med sync is in its appointment-based model that transforms the typically inefficient pharmacy workflow.”
Sanchez continued: “By freeing up pharmacists from having to deal with walk ins and answer the phone all day long, med sync empowers these frontline healthcare professionals to spend more time with patients and practice at the top of their license. In the process, med sync helps pharmacies to save valuable time, boost productivity and shift to value-based services. The result is stronger script volume growth, increased retention, and healthier, happier patients.”
The EnlivenHealth™ Medication Synchronization solution aligns a patient’s chronic medications to a single monthly refill appointment at the pharmacy. In addition to its proven positive impact on medication adherence, Medication Synchronization from EnlivenHealth™ is directly linked to a nine percent reduction in medical costs associated with hospital admissions and emergency department visits.2 Med sync programs are also proven to increase retention by 14 percent for enrolled pharmacy patients.
To learn more about the EnlivenHealth™ Medication Synchronization solution, click here.
1https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29577766/
2https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0881