Mismanaged Polypharmacy in Older Adults
The IMS report find out that medication non-adherence drives the largest avoidable cost. Patients not adhering to their doctors’ medication guidance experienced complications that led to an estimated $105 billion in annual avoidable healthcare costs. While the underlying reasons for non-adherence are varied and longstanding, the growing use of analytics and collaboration among providers, pharmacists and patients appear to be advancing both the understanding and effectiveness of intervention programs.
The report – Avoidable Costs in US Healthcare: The $200 Billion Opportunity from Using Medicines More Responsibly – examines six areas that contribute to unnecessary costs: medication non-adherence, delayed evidence-based treatment practice, misuse of antibiotics, medication errors, suboptimal use of generics and mismanaged polypharmacy in older adults. Together, these areas lead to unnecessary utilisation of healthcare resources involving an estimated 10 million hospital admissions, 78 million outpatient treatments, 246 million prescriptions and four million emergency room visits annually. The study found significant opportunities for improvement – to ensure that patients receive the right medicines at the right time, and take them in the right way.
Learn more: Download IMS Report (slow down-load)
The report – Avoidable Costs in US Healthcare: The $200 Billion Opportunity from Using Medicines More Responsibly – examines six areas that contribute to unnecessary costs: medication non-adherence, delayed evidence-based treatment practice, misuse of antibiotics, medication errors, suboptimal use of generics and mismanaged polypharmacy in older adults. Together, these areas lead to unnecessary utilisation of healthcare resources involving an estimated 10 million hospital admissions, 78 million outpatient treatments, 246 million prescriptions and four million emergency room visits annually. The study found significant opportunities for improvement – to ensure that patients receive the right medicines at the right time, and take them in the right way.
