Overcoming adherence obstacles: How to help patients start and stay on treatment    

Overcoming adherence obstacles: How to help patients start and stay on treatment 

Improving patients’ medication adherence is a priority for stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem, but numerous complex factors can contribute to nonadherence. Many patients face financial, educational and other barriers to initiating and continuing treatment.  

To help patients successfully fill and continue taking their medications as prescribed, it’s vital to understand and address the specific challenges each patient faces as early as possible in their treatment journey. 

The solution? Phreesia’s post-script engagement gives you the crucial touchpoint you need to provide support tools and resources to help patients overcome adherence obstacles. 

Three adherence campaign improvements you can make with Phreesia’s post-script engagement  

Our solution reaches patients at a critical point in their treatment journey to remind them to fill their prescriptions, assess possible medication adherence barriers and connect them with relevant support. Leveraging Phreesia’s PatientConnect platform, the engagement securely delivers curated content to patients, with their consent, immediately after their prescription is written. 

1. Activate the right patients at the right time  

Problem:  
Medication nonadherence rates are as high as one third to one half of all patients, leading to an avoidable cost of $290 billion annually in the U.S.¹  

Solution: 
The post-script engagement allows you to connect with and provide support to patients at a critical decision-making moment—just when a medication is electronically prescribed—whether it’s the first time or a refill. Reaching patients during this high-intent moment has a big impact because they’re in a healthcare state of mind and are more likely to take an active role in their treatment decisions. 

2. Understand patients’ intent to fill prescriptions 

Problem: 
Some providers are often unaware of whether patients actually fill and take their prescription as ordered until their next appointment.²  

Solution: 
Through an intent-to-fill survey, the post-script engagement measures how likely patients are to fill their prescriptions, garnering insights that enable providers to tailor their interactions with, and support for, patients. Proactively notifying providers about barriers at the time of prescription can also help address them weeks or months earlier than waiting for the patient to return for a follow-up visit or relying on claims-based data. 

3. Provide tailored adherence resources and support 

Problem: 
Patients face various obstacles to filling and staying on their prescriptions, including financial constraints and a lack of awareness of available support programs. In fact, Phreesia research shows that more than half of patients have little to no knowledge of patient support programs, and only 8% of patients recall ever using them.³ 

Solution: 
The post-script engagement provides patients with relevant tools and resources, including patient support program information and copay cards, as soon as their medication has been prescribed.  

Delivering patient support and other tailored content in a digital format, just after their prescription has been sent to the pharmacy, helps remove barriers early on and enables patients to fill—or continue taking—their medication as directed. 

Phreesia is committed to making care easier every day. Let’s work together to provide patients with personalized adherence support and empower them early in their treatment journey.   

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10398291/  

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7269720/  

3. Phreesia patient support programs survey, February-March 2021, n=4,869