How can doctors help their patients navigate the medication adherence maze? Bring the pharmacy into the conversation.
That's the advice of Mark Cullen, CEO of mScripts, a San Francisco-based provider of mobile pharmacy solutions serving some 4,200 pharmacy locations across the country, with plans to double that number this year. His reasoning is simple: Who knows more about the different medications a consumer might be taking than the person dispensing them?
And how better to cement that relationship between consumer and pharmacist than through mHealth?
"The pharmacy is beginning to emerge as an important part of the care delivery team," says Cullen. "In the future, you're going to see them even play a role as a triage agent … helping (consumers) get the real-time information they need."
This is done through targeted text messages, patient engagement apps, even the occasional phone call. The idea is to give consumers an immediate contact point for answering their questions about medications, thus improving adherence and creating a more educated patient. This, in turn, improves clinical outcomes for the provider – not to mention easing a significant burden to the doctor's daily workflow.
Of particular interest to mScripts is the native app, which in some instances can be better than a portal.
"When it comes to functionality native apps provide a far superior experience," Fiona Smythe, vice president of strategy for mScripts, explained in a blog post. "The app recognizes you immediately and provides you with a personalized experience, even when you aren’t online. The app experience leverages direct integration with in-phone features like the camera, GPS, push messaging and the accelerometer."
Such features can make it easier for patients to obtain refills by giving them different means to do so, such as checking something via the camera, and enables messaging options, Smythe added.
"You have to establish value with the consumer at every transaction – that builds on trust," says Cullen. "Once you've established that trust, you look at their behaviors. You find out what they do and you make things easier."
Cullen says companies like mScripts can help pharmacies by mining all that patient information at the back end and creating targeted messages for consumers, offering specific health and wellness information and pointing them to important resources. He'd also like to see this link extended to the electronic medical record.
Therein lies the value for providers, particularly as they transition into an accountable care organization environment (and as more and more hospitals either set up their own pharmacies or forge relationships with existing networks). Clinicians can push necessary medication information out to the pharmacies, then let the pharmacies work with the patients on education and compliance. And they can check with the pharmacy or the EMR to make sure the patient is complying with his or her prescriptions, and make any changes accordingly.
Related articles:
An ACO that is already reaping mHealth benefits
