Walgreens study: Pharmacy interventions improve adherence, lower costs

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Monday released the results of a study that showed its pharmacy patients who used a multi-faceted medication adherence program had a 3% higher medication adherence rate and lower healthcare costs than those who use other pharmacies. The results were published in Population Health Management. 

 

The study looked at patients initiating therapy in 16 classes of drugs for common chronic conditions over the course of six months in 2013 and compared Walgreens patients to those at other pharmacies. It found that in addition to the 3% adherence boost, Walgreens patients w had 1.8% fewer hospital readmissions and 2.7% fewer emergency room visits. Additionally, on a per-patient basis, Walgreens’ intervention group saw lower pharmacy costs, outpatient costs and ER expenditures, as well as total health care costs over the course of the study — about a $226 savings overall. 

 

“This data quantifies the role our community pharmacy platform plays in achieving better population health outcomes,” study author and Walgreens senior director of health analytics, research and reporting Michael Taitel said. “These findings clearly illustrate that the combination of pharmacist counseling, medication therapy management, refill reminders and telephonic and digital pharmacy interventions, tailored to patients’ needs, drive better adherence. Further, this improvement in adherence results in fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits, ultimately benefitting payers by lowering the overall cost of care.”