The use of digital tools and positive impact on patient adherence

Gail Bridges, PharmD Clinical Program Senior Director

Gabe Bush Product Management Director

Cohort study shows that patients using Accredo’s digital tools are more likely to adhere to their specialty therapy regimen. 

At Accredo, care goes beyond the prescription; the support and services provided by Accredo are tailored to the needs of partners and patients. One example of tailored services includes our portfolio of digital support tools, designed to meet our patients and those who care for them where they are. 

Accredo has several digital solutions supporting multiple stakeholders – from MyAccredoPatients.com for prescribers, to our pharma and payer portals, bringing real-time insights to healthcare partners. Our patient portal, mobile app and texting solutions for patients are highly rated as user friendly. At Accredo, we design digital tools with the patient journey in mind, allowing patients to conveniently manage their specialty medications how they want and when and where they want from their smartphone or desktop.  The goal of these offerings is to enhance the visibility, convenience and accessibility of care, ultimately enabling better outcomes.

What did Accredo evaluate?

This analysis explored the relationship between patients’ use of Accredo’s digital tools and the positive impact on adherence to treatment. 

Study Methodology 

Through a retrospective analysis using a cohort study design, we compared therapy adherence between Accredo patient populations enrolling and using digital management versus those who were not enrolled (non-digital). Accredo tools included in our study were mobile web, app, refill by text and the interactive voice response (IVR) program.  These tools are designed to alert patients to refill opportunities and to guide patients through managing their prescription.

The study evaluated patients who filled during the index period between April 1 and June 30, 2021, who were previously not using digital tools. The therapeutic classes included in the study were inflammatory conditions, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer. The index date was the date of the first prescription by class in the index period.  

Patients were also required to be continuous users within the therapeutic class based on three adjusted prescriptions within 90 days before index period. Patients were followed for 365 days after the index claim. Adherence was measured during the follow-up using proportion of days covered (PDC) methodology.

Patients were assigned to the digital management cohort if they filled three or more prescriptions leveraging digital tools during the index period. Patients were enrolled in the non-digital cohort if they did not use any digital channel during the post-period.   

Key Findings 

Overall, the study found that patients who enrolled in and leveraged Accredo’s digital tools consistently demonstrated higher medication adherence rates measured as PDC when compared to non-digital users, across the therapeutic classes listed in the summary. 

• Adherence was above 80% for all studied digital and non-digital groups
• The most common digital channel of choice was IVR, followed by texting
• All comparisons were controlled for age, sex and channel

Overall, the results of this study demonstrate a positive impact of Accredo’s digital tools on adherence to specialty medications, achieving both clinical and statistical significance. This is especially interesting because average adherence levels remained above an 80% threshold in all studied groups, including non-digital. These results show that digital tool use drives Accredo patient adherence from good to great – optimizing and complimenting Accredo’s care model.

Study found 8-12% increase in proportion of days covered for patients who use Accredo's digital tools.

Conclusion

The results of this study demonstrate that use of Accredo’s digital tools go beyond simply preference and convenience, to a pivotal role in enhancing medication adherence and improving health outcomes for patients managing specialty medications. By providing accessible and personalized support, these platforms empower patients to stay on track with their treatment. 

Accredo remains committed to leveraging digital innovation to redefine patient care and medication management and is dedicated to continuously enhancing our digital solutions to better serve the needs of our patients. 

Patients can register for a free digital account and enroll in texting alerts by texting "Start" to 877-222-7336

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