An Assessment of Medication Synchronization on Improving Medication Adherence

Abstract

Objectives: Our specific aim is to assess the changes in patient adherence in response to medication synchronization. Our working hypothesis is that medication synchronization will have a positive impact on patient adherence. Methods: This retrospective pre-post cohort study assessed medication adherence 365 days before and 365 days after enrollment into a prescription synchronization program. There were 5,994 patients included in the study. Seven medication classes and three demographic groups were chosen to assess for adherence. Adherence was determined by calculating mean proportion of days covered. A paired t-test was used to determine statistical significance for each drug class and demographic group. Exploratory analyses were done at 90 days and 180 days before and after the sync date to determine differences in terms of time. An alpha a-priori was set at 0.05 before analysis was started. Results: Current Fry’s Pharmacy patients greater than 18 years old that met the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for STARs rating criteria were included in the study. Results at 365 days showed a statistically significant decrease in PDC (p<0.0001), and was not affected by demographics. Conclusions: One year after the implementation of medication synchronization program at Fry’s Pharmacy, a statistically significance decrease in PDC is seen across all categories of chronic medications: statins, ACE-I/ARBs, beta-blockers, CCBs, metformin, thiazides, loop-diuretics, and inhaled corticosteroids. As such, medication synchronization may decrease patient adherence to the maintenance medications evaluated.