Introduction
High-touch patient care is the hallmark of specialty pharmacy. As such, ensuring medication adherence is a critical component of the specialty pharmacy model.
Often, pharmacists in specialty settings go above and beyond to promote the best outcomes for their patients. However, there remain several barriers to medication adherence that are largely outside the pharmacist’s control.
In the following article, we discuss the current landscape of adherence in specialty pharmacy. Next, we explore some of the most common barriers to specialty medication adherence. Finally, we highlight how VPL Rx’s expertise in last-mile specialty pharmacy delivery can empower pharmacists to further close the adherence gap.
The data on specialty medication adherence
Why adherence matters for specialty pharmacies
Specialty pharmacies serve patients with complex health conditions that require more intensive therapies. In this context, adherence becomes more than a metric; it’s a reflection of care quality and an essential component of pharmacy operations.
Key metrics and research findings
According to a study published by the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, the rates of true medication non-adherence in specialty pharmacy are relatively low. Only about 1,059 (14%) of the 7,488 prescription records in the study met the criteria for non-adherence.
And, among those 1,059, about 40% were misidentified as non-adherent. Certainly, these numbers are much lower than in traditional pharmacy settings, where up to half of all patients are estimated to be non-adherent.
However, there are a couple of reasons why specialty pharmacies should continue to strive for perfect adherence. Or at least get as close as possible.
First, contracting and accreditation bodies use adherence as a metric for evaluating specialty pharmacies. As such, specialty pharmacies must implement strategies to continuously meet these standards each year.
Second, given the particularly high cost of specialty medications, ensuring medication adherence is good practice both for patient outcomes and for business. We expand more on this point later in this article.
Barriers to specialty medication adherence
Communication and engagement challenges
With patient outcomes in mind, we can’t ignore the remaining percentage of non-adherent patients in specialty pharmacy. However, it seems like the patients are the ones doing the ignoring.
According to an article from JMCP, a majority of patients were identified as non-adherent because they wouldn’t pick up the phone.
There’s little a pharmacist can do when they’ve been ghosted by their patients. But it’s worth considering some of the reasons why a patient may not be answering their calls (besides that they simply don’t want to). This could be due to:
- Incorrect or outdated contact information
- Conflicts with job or family responsibilities
- Language or cultural barriers
Financial and health literacy obstacles
The next most common reasons for non-adherence among specialty pharmacy patients were related to health literacy and financial constraints.
Many patients face difficulties understanding their medication regimens or affording their prescriptions, even with financial assistance programs. These barriers often result in missed doses, interruptions in care, or complete discontinuation of treatment.
Clinical misclassifications
Interestingly, 40% of the prescription records from a JMCP study were misidentified as non-adherent. This was often due to clinical reasons, such as surgeries or adverse effects, or due to prescriptions being filled at a different pharmacy.
Without the right tools or support systems, pharmacists often find themselves unable to resolve these challenges effectively.
Understanding gaps in last-mile delivery
The state of last-mile delivery in specialty pharmacy
Once again, many of the factors leading to medication non-adherence are beyond the pharmacy’s control. This is especially true for pharmacies that ship prescriptions. For many of them, once a package leaves the building, it’s often impossible to track where and when it will arrive.
In some cases, pharmacists have no idea whether a patient received their prescription at all—until the patient themselves calls in to say they haven’t.
Implications for medication adherence and specialty pharmacies
This lack of visibility into last-mile delivery isn’t good for medication adherence. If patients aren’t receiving their medications on time, they of course can’t adhere to their treatment plan properly.
This can further be costly for business. With some medications costing thousands of dollars per dose, re-shipping failed deliveries quickly adds up.
Patients who receive their medications exactly when and where they expect to are more likely to stick to their regimen. Not to mention, pharmacies incur less costs when deliveries arrive on time.
So, how do pharmacies gain more control over a delivery process that’s largely outside their control?
How we solve last-mile pharmacy logistics challenges
VPL Rx is the expert in pharmacy shipping logistics from the moment a prescription leaves your pharmacy until it arrives at your patient’s doorstep.
Proactive monitoring and intervention
Our in-house Customer Care team supplements your pharmacy’s delivery team to ensure that prescriptions arrive to patients safely and cost-effectively. When a prescription goes missing or fails to deliver, our team deploys targeted monitoring and intervention to successfully recover it.
Data-driven distribution analysis
We take it a step further by analyzing your distribution data to identify root causes for distribution errors. We also work with local and national carriers and couriers to address delivery challenges. This includes complementary partnerships for temperature control and packaging as well.
Specialized delivery partnerships
To meet the unique demands of specialty pharmacy logistics, we collaborate with national and local carriers and couriers, along with vendors specializing in temperature-controlled packaging.
Flawless last-mile prescription delivery means better medication adherence. See it in action by scheduling a demo at getvpl.com/demo.
About us
VPL Rx is a clinically minded shipping, tracking, and compliance solution designed to modernize pharmacy distribution and promote healthier patients. Our quick shipping workflow delivers prescriptions safely with real-time tracking, delivery alerts, and last-mile intervention. Exportable performance reporting and data analytics help pharmacies optimize costs and maintain compliance and accreditation.
