Pharmacy Podcast Network

Darshan Kulkarni, JD, PharmD, discusses the impact of NonAdherence: Successful treatment of disease with prescription medicines requires consistent use of the medicines as prescribed. Yet research shows that medicines commonly are not used as directed. Nonadherence to medicines is a major health care cost and quality problem, with numerous studies showing high rates of nonadherence directly related to poor clinical outcomes, high health care costs, and lost productivity. The cost of nonadherence has been estimated at $100 billion to $300 billion annually, including costs from avoidable hospitalizations, nursing home admissions, and premature deaths.i Adherence to therapy is especially important for management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Chronic disease affects nearly one in two Americans and treating chronically ill patients accounts for $3 out of every $4 spent on medical care. Many researchers have found that poor