Recording and written materials of AIS's audioconference on January 27, 2010

How to Boost Adherence With Cholesterol Drugs: Health Plan Strategies to Improve Outcomes and Lower Costs

Although high cholesterol can lead to heart attack and death, half of all patients who are prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs stop taking them within six months. Health plans and PBMs are tackling these expensive statin adherence problems head-on with new strategies like adherence incentives and barrier surveys. And some PBMs now are offering performance guarantees to back up their promises that they will improve adherence with statins and other drugs. Get the specifics on which strategies are most successful at boosting adherence, which in turn can dramatically improve patient outcomes and lower costs.

Sponsored by Atlantic Information Services, Inc., publisher of Drug Benefit News, Specialty Pharmacy News and Health Plan Week

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One of the biggest challenges in improving adherence with statins is the fact that high cholesterol is an asymptomatic condition, so patients don’t notice any health changes when they discontinue therapy. Some patients have cost barriers and cannot continue the medication, while others simply did not understand physician instructions to keep taking it. To help solve these potentially deadly and expensive problems, health plans and PBMs are testing a variety of ways to combat poor statin adherence, including automated refill reminders, surveys on why medication was discontinued, physician and patient education, and incentives paid to patients with high adherence rates. A few PBMs are confident enough in their adherence efforts that they have accepted penalties in payer contracts if they fail to improve adherence rates by an agreed-upon percentage.

Hear two pharmacy benefit management executives detail what new strategies they’re using to improve statin adherence. You’ll get insider perspectives on key questions such as:

Speakers

JAN BERGER, M.D., is chief medical officer at Silverlink Communications and former senior vice president and chief clinical officer at CVS Caremark Corp. At Silverlink, Dr. Berger is responsible for driving population health and clinical communications strategies throughout the company’s clinical solutions, including medication adherence, HEDIS improvement, consumer engagement and behavior change. With over 25 years of business and clinical expertise and with extensive experience in lifestyle management, disease management and preventive health issues, Dr. Berger is considered a national health care thought leader. She is actively involved in numerous population health initiatives through her participation with the National Commission for Quality Assurance, the National Quality Forum, the Disease Management Association of America and the Center for Health Value Innovation. She also is the editor in chief of the American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits and has published more than 100 articles. Jan holds an M.D. and a Masters in Health Law from Loyola University in Chicago, a Certificate in Healthcare Business Administration from the University of South Florida, and a Six Sigma Black Belt awarded by the American Society of Quality.

RICHARD A. FEIFER, M.D., is vice president of clinical program development for the Advanced Clinical Solutions Group at Medco Health Solutions, Inc. He is responsible for clinical program innovation, effectiveness and medical integrity across Medco’s portfolio of health and care improvement programs. Dr. Feifer joined Medco in 2000 and previously served as chief medical officer and vice president of clinical strategy in Medco’s Employer Accounts Group, as well as specialty pharmacy medical director and senior director of medical affairs. A graduate of Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr. Feifer is board certified in internal medicine, with experience in primary care, geriatrics, and urgent care, and he is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Feifer has also received a Master of Public Health in health services management from Columbia University.

Moderator: Renée Frojo, editor of AIS’s Drug Benefit News

 

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