New White Paper From OPEN MINDS: Better Outcomes, Lower Costs: Medication Management With Medherent™
The white paper, created by Terrapin Pharmacy, explores the challenges with medication adherence for complex needs consumers and how advanced technology is bridging the access and adherence gap for these consumers.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (July 31, 2022) – Today OPEN MINDS released a white paper titled “Better Outcomes, Lower Costs: Medication Management with Medherent™”. Created by Terrapin Pharmacy, this white paper focuses on advanced technology used to support consumers with complex medication regimens.
It has been long understood that complex populations, such as those with severe mental illness (SMI) or Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD), often have difficulty following their medication regimens for a variety of reasons. Many persons with SMI or IDD have overlapping and multiple chronic health conditions and these complex needs result in multiple and varied medication regimens. Studies show that medication is missed half or more of the time when left to consumer self-care. For congregate care providers, the oversight of medication management is labor intensive.
The inconsistency and lapse in taking critical health medications leads to poorer health outcomes, earlier death, and higher costs of care with less positive outcomes for consumers with complex needs. Medication non-adherence is responsible for up to 10% of all health care costs, up to 40% of nursing home admissions, and approximately 125,000 deaths in the US every year.
The pandemic only accelerated the urgency for health plans and providers to focus on persons with complex needs, particularly those living in underserved areas. The social isolation and limited access to care, combined with severe direct workforce shortages, has challenged providers, caregivers and health plans in assuring persons with critical health needs are able to access their medications and take them in accordance with the myriad of medication regimens often required.
This paper focuses on the application of an advanced technology, Medherent™, to meet the challenge of access and deployment of complex medication regimens. Medherent acts as a “smart” vending machine and is small enough to be mounted on a wall in a consumer’s residence. The unit alerts the individual when it is time to take medication and dispenses the standing dose oral medication in day – and time-specific heat-sealed packets. Medherent is backed by a 24/7 Terrapin pharmacist. Proven results with community behavioral health agency partners report a substantial reduction in medication errors.
The white paper Better Outcomes, Lower Costs is available to the public free of charge, courtesy of Terrapin Pharmacy. You can download your complimentary copy here.
About OPEN MINDS
OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence, management consulting, and marketing services firm specializing exclusively in the markets of the health and human service field that serve consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. OPEN MINDS’ mission is to provide payers, service provider organizations, and technology and scientific firms that serve these consumers with the market and management knowledge needed to improve their organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Learn more at www.openminds.com.
About Terrapin Pharmacy
Terrapin Pharmacy is a pharmacy dedicated to improving medication adherence for individuals suffering from severe and persistent mental illness and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. By combining our pharmacy and patented Medherent™ system, clients receive the right dose at the right time, and providers get adherence data in real time. Please visit www.terrapinpharmacy.com for more information. We are on a mission.