Oral anti-diabetic drug adherence among Medicare Part D beneficiaries improved by mail services; study

Findings from a new study published on-line in the Journal of Medical Economics suggest that, in the USA, adherence to oral anti-diabetic medications is improved for Medicare Part D beneficiaries who receive their medication via mail service.

The study revealed that patients using mail order pharmacy had statistically better adherence (that is, staying on therapy as directed by a physician) than those using retail pharmacies - 49.7% versus 42.8%.

“This is the first study to show that mail service can help Medicare Part D members achieve better adherence with their diabetes medications,” said Jacqueline Kosecoff, chief executive of OptumRx, an information and technology-enabled health services company . “Improving adherence has been shown to prevent the worsening of disease outcomes, decrease the use of health resources and control escalating health care costs,” she added.