Critical role of treatment support programs in diabetes self-management
With the presidential election in 2016, access to health care and cost of medications are some of the most hotly debated topics in America. Consumers, however, have a limited understanding of health insurance, which studies have shown can lead to suboptimal decisions related to their own health.1
For the 29.1 million Americans living with diabetes,2 navigating this complicated landscape can be a hurdle to successful diabetes management, affecting their likelihood to fill their prescription and take their medicine as prescribed. Data show nonadherence can then lead to lower success rates in reaching treatment targets, increased adverse events for patients, and contribute to the rising costs of diabetes care.3,4
Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, is taking a proactive approach to help patients and clinical communities gain access to important medications through its personalized treatment support programs. The company’s health care professional hub, NovoMedLink.com, offers product-support information, educational videos, and access to free educational resources for use in clinical practice.
“Developing personalized tools to assist in treatment access is a primary focus of our patient-support efforts,” said Sean Phillips, Vice President of Managed Markets, Novo Nordisk Inc. “By connecting patients with information and resources related to health care coverage, health care providers and pharmacists play a critical role in helping patients stick to a treatment plan that is achievable for them.”
The site also offers prescription savings details for certain Novo Nordisk diabetes treatments available in the United States, including $20 and $25 co-pay cards and information on receiving a free box of Novo Nordisk needles for eligible patients.
References:
Loewenstein G, et al. Consumers’ misunderstanding of health insurance. J Health Econ. 2013;32:580-862. http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/laibson/files/consumers_jhe_sept2013.pdf?m=1391524638. Accessed November 4, 2015.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/national-diabetes-report-web.pdf. Accessed November 4, 2015.
Nasseh K, et al. Cost of medication nonadherence associated with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Am J Pharm Benefits. 2012;4(2):e41-e47. http://adhereforhealth.org/wpcontent/uploads/pdf/CostofMedicationNonadherenceAssociatedwithDiabetesHypertensionandDyslipidemia_Nasseh2010.pdf. Accessed November 4, 2015.
Iuga AO and McGuire MJ. Adherence and health care costs. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3934668/. Accessed November 4, 2015.