Impact of MedSync on Medication Adherence Rates in the Rural Patient Population of Eloy, AZ

Abstract

Specific Aims: To evaluate the impact of medication synchronization programs on adherence rates in the rural population of Eloy, Arizona. Subjects: Prescription numbers serviced by SunLife pharmacy in Eloy, AZ. Methods: Deidentified prescription information was collected before and after MedSync implementation. This data included the medication possession ratio (MPR: average number of days per month of medication in the patient’s hands) and the type of medication linked to a STARS quality measure disease state (oral diabetes medications, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.) Main Results: From 03/2020 to 011/2020, we observed an no significant change in overall adherence from 70.6% to 71.01% (p = 0.6174; CI: -1.1578 – 1.1949) and no significant change in adherence for oral diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension medications 69.72% vs 71.47% (p = 0.2301; CI -1.1089 – 4.6089); 69.04% vs 68.16% (p = 0.9444; CI – 3.1723 – 3.4063), and 71.83% vs 71.61% (p = 0.8443; CI: - 2.4598 – 2.0118), respectively. Conclusions: Although medication synchronization programs appear to improve adherence rates in previous studies, our evaluation of Eloy, AZ yielded insufficient data and insignificant results. Further studies are warranted in rural populations.