Should payers incentivize pharmacies to blister-package chronic medications?

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Patient Adherence
• Medication Management

Background:

• Medication nonadherence is common and leads to poor health outcomes and increased healthcare costs.
• Forgetfulness is a primary driver of nonadherence, impacting both acute and chronic medication regimens.
• Payers aim to reduce costs through improved disease management and medication adherence programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the effectiveness of blister packaging in improving medication adherence and patient outcomes.
• To address the limited utilization of blister packaging in the US outside long-term care settings.
• To propose a payer-incentivized model for pharmacies to adopt blister packaging.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence on the success of blister packaging interventions.
• Analysis of the barriers to blister packaging adoption in community pharmacies.
• Economic rationale for payer involvement in promoting blister packaging.

Main Results:

• Decades of evidence support blister packaging's efficacy in enhancing adherence and outcomes.
• Healthcare system fragmentation limits blister packaging use.
• Pharmacies face cost barriers to implementing blister packaging without direct financial incentives.

Conclusions:

• Blister packaging is a proven intervention for improving medication adherence and patient health.
• Payers can achieve significant cost savings by incentivizing pharmacies to use blister packaging.
• Incentives could include direct funding or preferred network status for pharmacies offering this service.