A whopping three quarters of Americans admit to not always taking their prescription medicines as directed, according to a report by the National Council on Patient Information and Education.  By not taking your medicines as their doctor intended will not help you get better and you may even become worse.  This will impact your out of pocket costs and has a direct correlation to your employee benefit costs.  Patients commonly fail to take their medications as directed, leading to unnecessary hospital admissions and even death, costing the health care system as much as $177 billion a year. Patient adherence to any medical treatment program is necessary in order to achieve high-quality and cost-effective health care.  Don’t be embarrassed to ask for clarification and you should not leave the doctor’s office or pharmacy without knowing the answers to the following questions:

  • How severe is my medical problem?
  • What are my goals to control this medical problem?
  • How often do I need to take this medicine?
  • What are the risks if I do not take my medicine as directed?
  • What are the common side effects and what can I do to control these side effects so I can keep taking the medicine?
  • Are there any prescription or over-the-counter medicines or herbal products that I should avoid?
  • What should I do if I forget to take my medicine?
  • How can I get help if I cannot afford my medicine?
  • Can I save money on my co-pay by getting a “splitable” pill?

Be honest with your doctor.  Discuss any allergies or problems you’ve had with a medication before.  Also, give a rundown of all the medication you’re taking – prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal.  Also, smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol may change the way your medicines work, so inform your doctor on these types of habits.  Give your medications a checkup.  Store your medicines in a cool, dark and dry place, and examine them at least once per year.

  • Look at expiration dates and throw away any medicines past their expiration dates.
  • Throw out medications that have changed color formed a residue or developed a peculiar odor.
  • Throw away any capsules that have opened.
  • Discard any drugs with a missing or unreadable label on the bottle.
  • Never take another person’s prescription.

Is your colleague taking their medicine as prescribed?  Are they getting the preventive care so you don’t have to pay more for your medical benefits?