PASADENA, Calif. – Patients newly prescribed a cholesterol-lowering medication were more likely to pick it up from the pharmacy if they received automated phone and mail reminders, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine today. This is one of a few published studies to examine strategies for reducing primary nonadherence, which occurs when patients do not pick up new prescriptions. Show The study of 5,216 Kaiser Permanente Southern California patients found that those who received an automated reminder were 1.6 times more likely to fill prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering statins than those who didn’t receive a reminder. Informational and encouraging phone calls were automatically generated if a patient did not pick up his or her medication within one or two weeks of a doctor’s appointment where a prescription was ordered. One week after the telephone call, researchers sent a reminder letter to patients who still had not picked up their prescription. When systems for automated outreach exist, the expense of outreach is relatively small. Expenses for both these prompts totaled $1.70 per participant in the study. After the intervention, the percentage of patients who picked up their prescriptions increased from 26 to 42 percent. Getting patients to take the well-proven medicines their physicians prescribe for them will ultimately reduce their risk of heart attacks and stroke, said Stephen F. Derose, MD, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. This automated intervention is a good way to very efficiently reach a large number of people and improve their health outcomes. Although this study examined medication adherence exclusively among patients at Kaiser Permanente Southern California receiving their first prescription for a statin drug, the low-cost method is likely to be viable for large populations, other chronic conditions, and other medications. Based on the results of the study, Kaiser Permanente Southern California implemented a new regional outreach program in April 2012. The program has sent reminders to about 2,200 members each month. Given the prevalence of the problem, especially among patients with chronic conditions, minor improvements in medication adherence among groups of people should yield significantly better health outcomes for patients and savings for hospitals and health systems, said Dr. Derose. Kaiser Permanente can deliver transformational health research in part because it has the largest private electronic health system in the world. The organization’s integrated model and electronic health record system securely connect 9 million people, 533 medical offices, and 37 hospitals, linking patients with their health care teams, their personal health information, and the latest medical knowledge. It also connects Kaiser Permanente’s epidemiological researchers to one of the most extensive collections of longitudinal and de-identified medical data available, facilitating studies and important medical discoveries that shape the future of health and care delivery for patients and the medical community. This research is a part of Kaiser Permanente’s broader efforts to understand and prevent medication nonadherence. Previous Kaiser Permanente research includes:
This study was funded through a collaboration with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ. Other authors of the paper include: Kelley Green, RN, PhD, T. Craig Cheetham, PharmD, MS, Vicki Chiu, MS, Teresa Harrison, SM, Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, Southida Vansomphone, PharmD, and Ronald D. Scott, MD of Kaiser Permanente Southern California; Elizabeth Marrett, MPH, and Kaan Tunceli, PhD, of Merck, Sharp & Dohme Corp. Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation About Kaiser Permanente How long does Kaiser take to ship prescriptions?For certain drugs, you can get prescription refills mailed to you through our Kaiser Permanente mail-order pharmacy. You should receive them within 3 to 5 days. If you have questions or concerns about your prescription delivery, please call your local Kaiser Permanente mail-order pharmacy for more information.
How do I submit a prescription online?There are generally two ways to fill a prescription online: Use an online pharmacy or mail-order pharmacy to fill your prescription; the pharmacy then mails you the prescribed medications. Use the patient portal on your pharmacy's website to request an Rx refill online, and then pick up your medicine in person.
How long does it take for prescription to be ready?In chain pharmacies, new prescriptions generally take 20 to 25 minutes to fill, while refills can take 10 to 15 minutes in smaller pharmacies.
Can someone pick up my prescription for me CVS?Simply put, yes – In most cases, someone else can pick up your prescription. However, there are usually a few extra things that person will need. For example, if the doctor gave a written prescription, the person picking up the medication will need the written prescription in order to have it filled at the pharmacy.
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