Twenty-four percent of patients given a new medication by their physician did not fill the prescription, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS Caremark.
For their study, researchers evaluated more than 423,000 e-prescriptions written in 2008 by 3,634 doctors for more than 280,000 patients. The team matched the e-prescriptions with resulting claims data, or in the case of those not filling the prescription, used the lack of a claim within six months to identify primary non-adherence.
Researchers outlined the following key findings from their study:
• Patients who received prescriptions for medications that were not included on their healthcare formulary — and were therefore more expensive because co-pays would be higher — are more likely not to fill their first prescription.
• The researchers determined that patients who live in higher income areas are more likely to fill prescriptions for new medications.
• Prescriptions written for infants are almost always filled, and antibiotics are filled at a rate of 90 percent.
• Medications for hypertension or diabetes saw primary non-adherence rates in excess of 25 percent.
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For their study, researchers evaluated more than 423,000 e-prescriptions written in 2008 by 3,634 doctors for more than 280,000 patients. The team matched the e-prescriptions with resulting claims data, or in the case of those not filling the prescription, used the lack of a claim within six months to identify primary non-adherence.
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Researchers outlined the following key findings from their study:
• Patients who received prescriptions for medications that were not included on their healthcare formulary — and were therefore more expensive because co-pays would be higher — are more likely not to fill their first prescription.
• The researchers determined that patients who live in higher income areas are more likely to fill prescriptions for new medications.
• Prescriptions written for infants are almost always filled, and antibiotics are filled at a rate of 90 percent.
• Medications for hypertension or diabetes saw primary non-adherence rates in excess of 25 percent.
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