Quality Forum Review: Forging Patient Connections: How Evidence-Based Technologies Are Expanding Access and Adherence

The PQA Quality Forum Webinar is a recurring series on healthcare quality topics with a focus on medication use and medication services. The quality forum creates an opportunity for education and engagement with PQA members and quality-focused healthcare professionals.  

PQA’s October 21, 2021, Quality Forum explored how patient connections can be leveraged in combination with evidence-based technologies to expand access and adherence to medication use. Panelists included:  

  • Maureen Hennessey, PhD, CPCC, CPHQ, from PRECISIONvalue; 
  • Sebastian Seiguer, JD, MBA, from emocha Health; 
  • Charmaine Rochester, PharmD, CDE, BCACP, with University of Maryland; 
  • Simita Mishra, PhD, PMP, PAHM; and  
  • Yulia Kogan, MBA, MPH, from Northwell Health.  

This Quality Forum Webinar was sponsored by PerformRx 

Hennessey shared results from a 2021 PRECISIONvalue survey of care managers, including pharmacists and nurses. Forty-three percent of respondents reported challenges in engaging with patients on better medication adherence. At least 73% of respondents were receptive to care management tools and resources to support medication adherence.  

Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Shared Decision-Making (SDM)

Motivational interviewing (MI) and shared decision making (SDM) are patient-focused methods that clinicians use to improve medication adherence. MI is a conversational method that engages patients to identify values and motivators, help patients make health decisions and work to improve health outcomes.  

SDM is a decision-making model driven by patient values, where clinicians support patient decision-making through coaching by providing options, discussing benefits and risks and aligning treatment decisions with patients’ informed preferences and values. SDM has successfully improved adherence to asthma therapies, antiplatelet medications after coronary stent placement and specialty therapy for multiple sclerosis. 

For more information on the insights gleaned from PRECISIONvalue’s survey, see their white paper onThe Evolving Role of Care Management. 

Digital Medication Adherence ProgramSeiguer and Rochester shared an intervention pilot study at the University of Maryland that involves asynchronous video check-ins and human engagement to scale Directly Observed Therapy (DOT), which addresses asthma inhaler technique and medication adherence. emocha Health’s digital medication adherence program is a patient-centered collaborative effort between the pharmacist, nurse, coach and provider.  

This pharmacist-led medical review uses MI to identify medication errors, medication use and inhaler techniques education opportunities, inform members about the DOT video program, and identify and report any missing medications to members, providers and plans.  

emocha Health’s intervention highlighted that some patients use both generic and brand name medications concurrently due to lack of knowledge. Some key takeaways were that in-home medication observations are valuable for counseling information and that daily video reviews and comprehensive medication appointments improve medication adherence. 

Rapid-Cycle Evaluation ProgramMishra and Kogan shared cutting-edge innovations to improving clinical operations and patients’ health outcomes at Northwell Health, including conversational technology, remote therapeutic monitoring, medication adherence programs, learning health systems (practice, research, and data) and a rapid-cycle evaluation program. These innovations help patient communication for test results, medication adherence, post-discharge follow-ups and patient education.  Northwell Health experienced an increase in patient satisfaction of 97.7% 

The full recording of this Quality Forum Webinar, a one-hour presentation with audience Q&A, is located on PQA’s YouTube Channel. PQA members can access the presentation slides in the Member Resource Library 

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