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Poor medication adherence causes 125k deaths, 10% hospital admissions, costs $300B yearly. AI can boost adherence, reduce risks.
The magnitude of poor adherence to medications for chronic conditions is striking. Of the approximately four billion prescriptions written each year, 20% are never filled and when they are, only 50% are taken correctly (1). The price of poor medication adherence is similarly staggering. It has been linked to an estimated 125,000 annual deaths, 10% of yearly hospital admissions, and up to $300 billion in annual economic impacts (2-4). However, this burden is not inevitable.
Improving adherence can have a significant impact on costs and outcomes. For commercial populations, every $1 spent on medications reduced medical costs between $3-10 (depending on the condition) and the impact was even greater (5). In Medicaid populations, high adherence drove 8–26% fewer admissions and 3–12% fewer ER visits, again depending on the condition (6). Research has also shown that the benefits of better adherence accrue well before crossing an 80% threshold (often used to designate ‘good adherence’). They actually begin much sooner (e.g., at 40%) and grow as adherence rises. The same study also demonstrated that helping patients to initiate medications could possibly have an equal if not greater impact.Medication adherence is a complex behavior influenced by several interacting factors that differ by patient, provider, medication, and condition (7,8). In fact, systematic reviews have concluded there is no “best” intervention that is singularly effective (9-11). Instead, success relied on being able to identify each patient’s needs and match them with the right intervention. Successful interventions varied, but common elements included face-to-face pharmacist consultations, addressing financial barriers, aiding habit formation (e.g., pill monitors and refill reminders), and using behavioral economic elements.
