To keep you better informed about the biggest trends and developments affecting medication management, medication adherence, and clinical pharmacist services, here are some of the most significant news reports published in August. Highlights include stories on HEDIS® changes, an alarming adherence study, the importance of team-based care, and the value of a transition of care program.
1. HEDIS MY 2023: See What's New, What's Changed and What's Retired
The National Committee for Quality Assurance issued its latest updates to and new measures for the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®). Among them: the addition of a measure for "Deprescribing of Benzodiazepines in Older Adults."
2. Almost a Third of Patients Don't Take Drugs as Directed
A large study examining more than 200,000 patients and 91,000 unique prescriptions find that as many as one-third of patients do not take their medications as directed.
3. Embracing Team-Based Care to Ease Burden of a Physician Shortage
Faced with a looming physician shortage, organizations should consider how to better leverage team-based care to provide patients with the extensive support and services they require, which includes the provision of medication reconciliation post-discharge (MRP).
4. TOC Team Addresses Polypharmacy, Cuts Readmissions
A pharmacist-led transition of care (TOC) program can achieve reductions in hospital readmissions among geriatric patients.
5. High Chemo Drug Prices Leading Leukemia Patients to Online Pharmacies
The high cost of chemotherapy drugs is motivating some leukemia patients to purchase medications online from websites that might operate without a license, sell counterfeit or expired products, steal payment information, or reject important safety precautions.
6. Oral Anticancer Medications Have Low Levels of Adherence
Adherence to oral anti-cancer medications is suboptimal, with high out-of-pocket costs as the most common contributing factor.
7. Antihypertensive & Statin Adherence Suboptimal in Medicare Recipients
In Medicare beneficiaries, antihypertensive and statin medication adherence is suboptimal, and disparities are present.
8. Statins Should Not Be Stopped in Older People Owing to Their Benefits, Say Researchers
People 80 years and older who stop taking statins may have substantially reduced protection against cardiovascular disease, suggests a large data analysis.
9. 'Polypill' Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Death, Says Study
A single pill combining three different drugs typically prescribed for those recovering from a heart attack is shown to reduce the risk of heart-related issues for these people and effectively shrink cardiovascular deaths.
10. Polypharmacy, PIMs Tied to Frailty in Older Adults With Hematologic Malignancies
Research suggests that frailty is associated with polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older patients with hematologic malignancies.
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