New Study Finds Individuals Who Adhere to Their Diabetes Medication Have a 31% Associated Lower Risk of Hospitalization

ST. PAUL, Minn., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Individuals with
diabetes who adhere to their medication had lower risk of
hospitalization by one-third when compared to patients who do not
adhere to their medication, according to a new study. The results
of the study by Prime Therapeutics (Prime), a thought leader in
pharmacy benefit management, are being presented the last week in
April at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s 23rd Annual Meeting
and Showcase in Minneapolis, Minn.

More than 23 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes
mellitus (DM), commonly known as diabetes, and each year another
1.6 million people are diagnosed with the condition.  Poor
medication adherence has been associated with worse medical
outcomes and increased medical costs for patients with diabetes in
a single employer or the elderly. Until now, there has been little
data quantifying the potential value of improved outcomes and costs
possible with better medication adherence in a large commercially
insured population. In this study, one of the largest of its kind,
more than 15,000 commercially insured individuals with a diabetes
diagnosis medical claim were followed for one year.

“Our research found adherent individuals had $1,010 lower
medical costs during the year,” said Patrick Gleason, PharmD,
director of Clinical Outcomes Assessment at Prime. “Besides the
medical cost savings, patients that adhere to their medications are
likely to have improved health and increased quality of life. Yet
in this study, we found one-quarter of patients do not stick to
their diabetes medication, so the medical community must find ways
to increase adherence for those most at-risk.”

Researchers from Prime and one of its Blue Cross and Blue Shield
clients reviewed pharmacy and medical claims from a commercial
medical plan with 1.3 million members. The study identified
individuals continuously enrolled between 2007 and 2009.
Researchers then focused on members who

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