AdhereTech offers innovative solutions to reduce medication nonadherence and its associated financial burden on the healthcare system. Leveraging user-friendly technology, including smart medication devices that provide real-time monitoring and notifications, reminding patients to take their medication as prescribed. These smart devices arrive personalized to patients’ medication schedules, simply requiring them to activate their devices. Patients’ smart devices emit a gentle glow an hour before their dosage window and chime when the patient’s dosage window occurs, escalating to a missed dosage notification if the patient fails to take their medication within their dosage window. Caretakers can also receive these notifications, providing patients with additional support to remain adherent to their medication regimens. Furthermore, by using real-time monitoring, AdhereTech escalates care if nonadherence persists for consecutive dosage windows. This reminder system and immediate feedback help reduce nonadherence complications that lead to costly hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and additional medical interventions, lowering direct healthcare costs (Benjamin, 2012; Cutler et al., 2018). Furthermore, this reduction in complications reduces indirect costs as well, as individuals are less likely to require time off from work or file for short-term disability due to issues arising from nonadherence (Bagalman et al., 2010; Ivanova et al., 2009).
AdhereTech’s platform also features a dedicated care team that patients can contact for personalized support and guidance. The care team is composed of trained professionals who address questions and concerns regarding these smart devices. Furthermore, they can connect patients with their specialty pharmacies regarding medication concerns and financial resources to ensure patients have consistent access to their medications. This helps patients have uninterrupted access to their prescriptions and connections with healthcare professionals. By offering a direct communication line, the care team plays a critical role in supporting patients to adhere to their medication schedules. This proactive assistance can prevent complications, such as missed doses or incorrect medication usage, which may otherwise result in the need for expensive medical services such as hospital admission or emergency care. Reducing the frequency of such complications can lower healthcare costs associated with treating nonadherence-related issues. Additionally, indirect costs are also mitigated, as by avoiding severe health complications such as those listed above, patients are less likely to need to take prolonged leave from work or face disability (Ivanova et al., 2009). This may help to reduce the economic burden of absenteeism and lost wages, lowering the broader societal and financial impact of nonadherence (Ivanova et al., 2009).
A clinical study conducted by Ellsworth et al. (2021) evaluated the effectiveness of the AdhereTech smart pill bottle in enhancing medication adherence among HIV patients. Over the course of 12 weeks, participants using the smart bottle had statistically significantly higher levels of TFV-DP (an HIV drug) compared to the control group. This indicates that participants who used the smart bottle for their medication had higher levels of TFV-DP, meaning they followed their ART (antiretroviral therapy) regimens more consistently than participants solely receiving adherence counseling. Moreover, patient feedback was positive, with 98% of participants utilizing the smart bottles reporting the device helped reduce missing dosages. Hence, clinical trial data supports AdhereTech’s effectiveness in enhancing adherence among patients with chronic conditions. By promoting consistent medication regimens, these devices help prevent complications associated with nonadherence, which, in turn, reduces indirect and direct costs associated with medication nonadherence, demonstrating the value of AdhereTech in minimizing the financial burden on patients and the healthcare system.
References
Benjamin R. M. (2012). Medication adherence: helping patients take their medicines as directed. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 127(1), 2–3. https://doi.org/10.1177/003335491212700102
Bagalman, E., Kristina, S., Durden, E., Crivera, C., Dirani, R., & Bunn III, W. B. (2010). Indirect costs associated with nonadherence to treatment for bipolar disorder. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 52(5), 478-485.
Cutler, R. L., Fernandez-Llimos, F., Frommer, M., Benrimoj, C., & Garcia-Cardenas, V. (2018). Economic impact of medication non-adherence by disease groups: a systematic review. BMJ open, 8(1), e016982. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016982
Ellsworth, G. B., Burke, L. A., Wells, M. T., Mishra, S., Caffrey, M., Liddle, D., … & Gulick, R. M. (2021). Randomized pilot study of an advanced smart-pill bottle as an adherence intervention in patients with HIV on antiretroviral treatment. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 86(1), 73-80.
Ivanova, J. I., Bergman, R. E., Birnbaum, H. G., Phillips, A. L., Stewart, M., & Meletiche, D. M. (2012). Impact of medication adherence to disease-modifying drugs on severe relapse, and direct and indirect costs among employees with multiple sclerosis in the US. Journal of medical economics, 15(3), 601-609.
Ivanova, J. I., Birnbaum, H. G., Samuels, S., Davis, M., Phillips, A. L., & Meletiche, D. (2009). The cost of disability and medically related absenteeism among employees with multiple sclerosis in the US. Pharmacoeconomics, 27, 681-691.