Marquette, MI – April 3, 2024 – On our latest Upper Peninsula Health Plan Update, we heard from UPHP’s Rachel Prusi about the importance of taking your medications as prescribed.
Prusi talked about it this week with Mark & Walt in the Morning.
Prusi said not following the orders for your meds leads to poor health outcomes, increased hospitalizations, and ER visits and higher costs.
She explained that medication adherence is broadly defined as taking a medication in the way that the provider intends, but nearly 50% of adults with chronic conditions are non-adherent to long-term therapy.
Prusi said it is key that people take their medications even if they don’t feel sick, they should use a pill box or another tool to keep track of your medications and to put them somewhere they look at every day (like near your toothbrush or by your coffee maker) to remember.
She added that about 10% of hospitalizations in the U.S. in older adults is related to not taking medications as prescribed; and it is estimated that patients who don’t take their medications as prescribed require three extra medical visits per year.
-mediaBrew Communications
