Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/28/2019 --Intermountain Healthcare's Community Pharmacies are helping patients take their medication as prescribed in a new way using medication synchronization — which means the pharmacy will coordinate the refill of medications so patients can pick them all up at the same time each month.
Medication adherence can impact patient outcomes more than specific treatment itself, according to the World Health Organization. Non-adherence may account for up to 50 percent of treatment failures, around 125,000 deaths, and up to 25 percent of hospitalizations each year in the United States. It also delivers a hefty price tag to the healthcare patients and payers.
Here's how medication synchronization works and its benefits:
- A patient's prescriptions are scheduled to be filled on the same day of the month, which eliminates the need for patients to manage each medication separately. For even more convenience, patients can sign up for free home delivery.
- Patients are contacted in advance to confirm prescriptions that need to be filled and to identify any changes in therapy. The pharmacist will review a patient's overall health conditions, provide education where needed, and conduct a full medication review to help keep patients on track.
- Medication synchronization can improve health outcomes and quality measures. This helps patients obtain the right medicine at the right time with fewer delays in treatment. It also reduces the number of times a patient needs to call providers with medication-related questions.
- A recent study found patients with cardiovascular disease whose medications are synchronized can be up to three times more adherent to their medication recommendations, have a nine percent lower rate of hospitalization and emergency department visits, and have a three percent lower rate of outpatient visits than those whose medications aren't synchronized.
"Our new medication synchronization service is another way our pharmacies will deliver a consistent, high-quality patient experience," said Buck Stanford, Intermountain Healthcare's system pharmacy operations director for Community-Based Care. "We have some of the most comprehensive adherence solutions available to help people live the healthiest lives possible."
For more information, visit the Intermountain Community Pharmacy information for Intermountain Community Pharmacy Locations.
About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs.
Intermountain Healthcare Community Pharmacies Are Syncing when Patients Pick Up Medications