Jul 27, 2020 | Blog
Building resiliency in the time of a pandemic
is an ongoing process. It also serves as a reminder that there are other events
that can impact our safety, health and well being. These can include drug
shortages, drug recalls and the impact of high cost prescription medications on
our ability to adhere to prescribed treatment regimens.
In April of this year, the FDA announced an
immediate market withdrawal of ranitidine drugs, more commonly known as Zantac,
due to reported carcinogen contamination. This was following months of
voluntary recalls after traces of the carcinogen were first reported in 2019.*
This year, the FDA finally clamped down. This recall has affected millions who
take the OTC drug, along with 15 million people on prescription-strength
Zantac. And then, to add insult to injury, we quickly learned how one recall
can also affect a shortage in another drug. In this case it was Pepcid, as
people switched over from Zantac.
Health plan members with access to a drug
comparison or therapeutic interchange tool can log online from any device and
look for therapeutic options for Zantac or Pepcid. Armed with new information,
this tool supports members in talking to their prescribers about both
prescription and OTC alternatives, which could include nizatidine (Axid) and
cimetidine (Tagamet).
Therapeutic Interchange offers options
In the current social distancing environment,
minimizing trips to retail stores, like pharmacies, is desirable. When looking
for an OTC product, such as Zantac, members can log on to a therapeutic
interchange tool instead, identify medication options, order the drug online
and pick it up through a pharmacy drive thru or have it shipped directly to
their home.
Therapeutic interchange goes beyond replacing
high-cost brand prescription medications with generic equivalents. Therapeutic
interchange may also include brand, generic and OTC products that help reduce
costs, increase medication adherence, improve outcomes and alleviate possible
fears about drug shortages. The ultimate goal is to get therapeutic interchange
in the hands of the prescriber, so lower cost medication options start there and
flow from the point of prescribing all the way through to the member.
With many benefits, therapeutic interchange is
an opportunity to build resiliency in uncertain times.
Impact of high cost drugs on medication
adherence
Data shows that the cost of medications is the
biggest barrier to medication adherence. As studies have shown time and again,
when drugs cost less, members are more apt to follow their prescribed
treatments. Medication adherence leads to better health outcomes.
According to a 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation
report, 23 percent of seniors say it’s difficult to afford their prescription
drugs. Nearly 30 percent report not taking their medicines as prescribed due to
cost and eight percent say their condition worsened due to not taking their medication
as prescribed.
Unfulfilled prescriptions can also lead to an
increased risk of patients going to the ER, along with the chance of costly
hospital readmissions.
More options at the point of prescribing
When prescribers can see costs and different medication
options at the time of writing a prescription, health plans members are often
pleased to have this additional information before they get to a pharmacy. A
prescriber can also gain much broader knowledge into available options when
they can see all aspects of a drug. This can include not just costs, but also
potential side effects, other drugs that may be on the plan’s formulary and any
formulary restrictions such as Prior Authorizations (PA) or quantity
restrictions. With this information, prescribers can make better health and
financial decisions for their patients and members.
Improving Medicare star ratings
Health plans can also build resiliency by
improving performance as demonstrated by their Medicare star ratings, which are
key measures of health plan quality. Ratings consider a number of key clinical
quality measures that ultimately demonstrate how well a health plan takes care
of its members. There are eight (out of 48) measures that specifically pertain
to medication management.** Health plans that make it easier for
beneficiaries to access and take their medications could see higher member
engagement.
Proactive Outreach Campaigns
Health plans can proactively connect with
members regarding their high cost drugs and suggest they speak with their
prescriber about lower cost alternatives. Members can discuss switching or
decide to stay with their current prescription. This type of outreach is data
driven, supported by a tool that all stakeholders can use to get drug
information. Empowering members to talk to their prescribers about options can
open up lines of communication so important to building health plan resiliency.
ConnectureDRX and Therapeutic Interchange
ConnectureDRX has a long history in pricing
prescription drug products and offers a robust therapeutic interchange
solution. Janie Kim, Clinical Director of ConnectureDRX says, “We are working
to enhance the therapeutic interchange process by changing the way
prescriptions and healthcare costs are managed today.”
Kim adds, “Building resiliency means
empowering health plans, pharmacies and prescribers with technology that
supports current prescribing trends. This means using carrier data, real-time
pricing and ensuring clinical content and drug databases include the most
current medication options available at all times.”
ConnectureDRX’s therapeutic interchange
product is for both commercial and Medicare insurance products. This repository
of prescription drug options, along with the pricing tool, can be integrated
with electronic health record (EHR) systems and enables the prescriber to look
up member cost and drug options when writing prescriptions.
“Providing the best fit drug for each member,
cost savings and improving outcomes matter more today than ever before,” says
Kim. “Having a therapeutic interchange database is certainly a valuable tool in
today’s uncertain times and an extraordinary opportunity to support drug
conservation strategies.”
Medication adherence, lower drug costs and
improving outcomes are essential to managing health and increasing well being.
Empowering health plans, pharmacies, prescribers and members alike with the
right therapeutic interchange tool (one backed by extensive clinical expertise
and experience) will help build much needed resiliency today and always.
Sources:
*Zantac Recall, Drug
Watch
https://www.drugwatch.com/zantac/recall/
https://www.drugwatch.com/zantac/recall/
FDA Updates and Press
Announcements on NDMA in Zantac
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-ndma-zantac-ranitidine
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-ndma-zantac-ranitidine
May 2020 – famotidine
shortages reported due to recalls in this class of drugs
https://www.drugtopics.com/view/famotidine-shortages-continue-amid-pandemic
https://www.drugtopics.com/view/famotidine-shortages-continue-amid-pandemic
KFF Health Tracking
Poll – February 2019: Prescription Drugs
https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-february-2019-prescription-drugs/
https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-february-2019-prescription-drugs/
**Medication
Adherence: The Lever to Improve Medicare Advantage Star Ratings
https://www.ajmc.com/contributor/jason-rose/2019/08/medication-adherence-the-lever-to-improve-medicare-advantage-star-ratings
https://www.ajmc.com/contributor/jason-rose/2019/08/medication-adherence-the-lever-to-improve-medicare-advantage-star-ratings
No comments:
Post a Comment