OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of a medication synchronization program on medication adherence.

METHODS: This study used a retrospective cohort design with propensity score matched control group. Patients age 21+ qualified for a medication synchronization program (Save-A-Trip-Refill^®) if they had 2 or more visits to Walgreens pharmacy within 30 days to fill 3 to 7 maintenance medications during a 180-day baseline period. The test group included 4,221 patients who enrolled in the program between February and September 2016 at 30 pharmacies in FL, IL and NM. The control group included patients who were qualified in the same period, in the same states but outside of test stores. Patients in the test group received live calls for enrollment into the program, synchronization planning for medication fill dates, and regularly scheduled resynchronization. The patients in the control group were propensity score matched to the test group at 1:1 ratio on baseline characteristics of age, gender, plan type, copay, comorbidities, number of medications, number of pharmacy visits, and adherence rate. Medication adherence for anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic medications were calculated and compared between test and control groups in a 12-month follow-up period using Walgreens pharmacy claims data. Medication adherence was evaluated using both proportion of days covered (PDC) and optimal adherence (PDC ≥ 80%). Student’s t-tests and Chi-square tests were used to evaluate statistical significance of the differences.

RESULTS: Compared to the control group, patients in the test group had significantly (p<0.001) greater PDC by 6.2%, 6.7%, and 8.1% for anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-hypertensive, and anti-diabetic medications, respectively. Percent of optimally adherent patients was also significantly (p<0.001) greater by 6.7%, 7.7%, and 9.9% respectively for the same drug classes.

CONCLUSIONS: Medication synchronization helps patients with multiple chronic conditions improve their medication adherence which could result in better health outcomes and reduced overall healthcare cost.