There is a 58% chance a patient that is taking 5 or more drugs will experience an adverse drug event.
Medication management for patients with chronic conditions can be a complex task. These patients require multiple medications to manage their various symptoms, significantly increasing the risk of drug interactions, non-adherence, and adverse events and their associated high-costs. Here are 4 strategies you can adopt to optimize medication management for patients with chronic conditions.
Starting a Deprescribing Program
Deprescribing programs have recently gained more attention among payors and value-based providers due to its high potential to improve patient outcomes while managing healthcare costs. Deprescribing is commonly defined as adjusting medications down to the minimum effective dose or stopping them when a patient’s health status changes in a way that the medications’ potential harm outweighs its benefits. Deprescribing can significantly decrease the risk of adverse drug events, medication burden, enhance overall health outcomes, and increase adherence to the appropriate medications. This, in turn, reduces the cost of medications both for the patient and for the health system and results in fewer hospital admissions and reduced healthcare utilization.
Providing Regular Comprehensive Medication Reviews Beyond the CMS MTM Pool
While CMS MTM requirements provide a baseline for ensuring medication safety and efficacy, they may not cover all aspects of individual patient needs, especially in those with multiple chronic conditions or complex medication regimens. According to a study by Whitney J. Kiel and Shaun W. Phillips, Comprehensive Medication Reviews (CMRs) was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the number of medication-related problems compared with those patients that did not receive a CMR.
When expanding beyond the limited pool of CMS MTM-eligible members, healthcare providers can identify and address potential drug interactions that MTM protocols may not fully capture. In addition, members outside the eligibility pool may also experience issues such as potential drug interactions, duplicate therapies, and inappropriate medications that require intervention, ensuring all patients receive the most effective and safe treatment. This personalized larger scale care can lead to better medication adherence, improved health outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs by preventing medication-related complications and optimizing treatment.
Educating Patients about their Prescriptions
As patients with chronic conditions are often prescribed multiple medications, it can be overwhelming for patients to manage all of their medications, know when and how to take them, and understand potential medication side effects. It is essential to provide patients with comprehensive education about their medications, such as why they have been prescribed, how they should be taken, and what side effects to watch out for.
Integrating the Latest Technology:
After all, effective medication management is not just about managing diseases and medications but holistically caring for the patients and working to improve health outcomes and quality of life by making sure they are taking the most effective, and safe treatments for them. Implementing the latest technology can greatly enhance medication management. Reach out to @MDI Health to learn more about how we leverage deep-analytics and AI to personalize and scale high-quality medication therapy and work with payors and value-based providers to prevent drug-related problems, maximize deprescribing efforts, and reduce total costs of care.