CVS Caremark Study Finds Non-Adherent Heart Failure Patients Almost Twice as Likely to be Re-Hospitalized Wit...( CVS Caremark Proactive Pharmacy Care ...),Health

CVS Caremark Proactive Pharmacy Care approach designed to help improve medication adherence to positively impact outcomes and manage costs

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- A study released today by CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) found that nearly half of patients hospitalized for heart failure may not be adherent to recommended drug therapies, significantly increasing their risk for subsequent hospitalization within 12 months. The study found that among those patients who were non-adherent to drug therapy, average subsequent hospitalizations per patient in a 12 month period (1.1 re-hospitalizations) were almost twice that of adherent patients (0.6 re-hospitalizations).

"The ongoing challenge of medication non-adherence for patients with heart conditions is well known and, as we see with many chronic conditions, medication adherence for heart failure patients is a significant driver of both long term clinical outcomes and cost impact," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark. "To address this issue, CVS Caremark provides our PBM clients with adherence to drug therapy programs that proactively engage participants, achieve significant gains in converting patients to necessary therapies, improve medication adherence and maintain participant compliance over the long term."

The study examined adherence to key heart failure medications (ACE/ARBs, beta-blockers and diuretics) over the 12-months following a heart failure-related inpatient hospitalization. Results found that 49.9 percent of patients studied were not optimally adherent to their medications and had a medication possession ratio (MPR) of less than 0.80. Across all patients, 41% were re-hospitalized at least once within the 12-month follow-up period; however, the highest rate of re-
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