AHRQ Continuing-Education Video Explores Medication Adherence Intervention Programs

A new AHRQ continuing-education video explores how interventions can encourage medication adherence. On average, 50 percent of medications for chronic disease aren’t taken as prescribed. Nonadherence has been estimated to cost the U.S. health care system between $100 billion and $289 billion annually in direct costs. Strong evidence suggests that improved self-management of chronic diseases could result in a cost-to-savings ratio of approximately 1:10 and improve patient health outcomes. The video features findings from “Medication Adherence Interventions: Comparative Effectiveness,“ a report from AHRQ’s Closing the Quality Gap Series that sheds light on the potential for multiple interventions, such as reducing copayments or improving coverage for prescription drugs, offering case management services and providing patients education and behavioral support to improve medication adherence.