An Analysis of Medication Adherence of Sooner Health Access Network SoonerCare Choice Patients

Medication adherence is a desirable but rarely available metric in patient care, providing key insights into patient behavior that has a direct effect on a patient's health. In this research, we determine the medication adherence characteristics of over 46,000 patients enrolled in the Sooner Health Access Network (HAN), based on Medicaid claims data from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. We introduce a new measure called Specific Medication PDC (smPDC), based on the popular Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) method, using the last fill date for the end date of the measurement duration. The smPDC method is demonstrated by calculating medication adherence across the eligible patient population, for relevant subpopulations over a two-year period spanning 2012 - 2013. We leverage a clinical analytics platform to disseminate adherence measurements to providers. Aggregate results demonstrate that the smPDC method is relevant and indicates potential opportunities for health improvement for certain population segments.