It is clear that adherence is one of the most important keys to driving down health care costs and improving health outcomes. Adherence means taking a medication as prescribed consistently: right medication, at the right dose, and at the right time. According to a study by Mayo Clinic, 50% of patients are non-adherent which means that for 50% of patients on a chronic condition medication, doses are missed, taken improperly or not taken at all. Non-adherence costs the U.S. 2.3% of GDP or $290 Billion.
Every day, the United States loses 116 lives to the opioid epidemic.(1) Pharmacists are asking what can be done to combat the opioid epidemic and treat pain effectively.
In the ever-changing healthcare environment, minimizing pain is a top priority, but for over a decade, physicians have relied on opioid medications that put millions of patients at risk.
The economic burden created by the opioid crisis – including healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement – costs the U.S. an estimated $78.5 billion per year. (2)
Education on the state of the opioid epidemic and alternative therapies is a starting point for pharmacists to combat this public health emergency.