CVS Study: Refill Program Boosts Medication Adherence, Reduces Drug Waste

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

CVS/pharmacy ReadyFill program is improving patient health.

A CVS Health Research Institute study examined the impact of prescription refill programs on medical adherence, finding ReadyFill, the CVS/pharmacy refill program, improved medication adherence and helped reduce drug waste. The research, published by the American Journal of Managed Care, is the first to show the impact of prescription refill programs on medication adherence.

“Medication adherence is a complex public health challenge, and our ongoing research in this area has identified many reasons why people don’t always take their medications as prescribed by their doctor,” William Shrank, CVS Health’s SVP and chief scientific officer, said. “Our prescription refill program is helping to address one challenge of medication adherence by making the prescription refill process easier and more convenient without contributing to drug oversupply, which is a common concern with these types of programs.”

The study found patients who received 90-day supplies of their medications for chronic conditions had Medication Possession Ratios (MPRs) 1.4 points higher than the control group. It also saw a jump of 3.0 points among patients receiving a 30-day supply compared to the control group. The program also reduced days of drug oversupply by more than 2 days in both groups compared to the control group.

CVS estimated issues related to medication adherence costs the U.S. healthcare system approximately $300 billion a year. An estimated 50 percent of American adults currently take medication for at least one chronic disease including high blood pressure or high cholesterol, but medication adherence remains a serious concern.

The CVS research study was based on data from more than 250,000 CVS/caremark members who filled either 30- or 90-day prescriptions for at least one of 11 common chronic conditions at a CVS/pharmacy.