Medication adherence is one of the biggest challenges faced by healthcare in the USA. Despite advances in medical diagnosis, treatment, and research, many patients don’t take their medications on time. This poses a real threat to health outcomes and can increase hospital readmissions. Fortunately, digital solutions such as patient engagement EMR software are playing a vital role in improving medication adherence. The platform has intuitive, robust features that support medication adherence.
Why is medication adherence Important?
Medication adherence is when patients take the right dosage of their medication at the right time. This is especially important to manage chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and depression.
Poor medication adherence has serious repercussions on patients’ health. Patients who skip their doses or don’t take their medication correctly can experience worsening health conditions. If we look at the economic consequences of medication non-adherence, it costs billions of dollars to the US healthcare system. With value-based care models getting the spotlight, it has become important for organizations and providers to improve patient outcomes.
How Patient Engagement EMR Software Makes Way for Medication Adherence
Modern electronic medical records software solutions offer patient engagement platforms. The patient engagement EHR system is designed to empower patients to stay on top of their healthcare journey by keeping them actively involved. Let’s take a look at the tools that support medication adherence in patient engagement software:
Automated Medication Reminders
For forgetful patients or patients who have complex medication regimens, electronic medication reminders are a great way to ensure medication adherence. These reminders alert patients when it is time to take their pills or even refill prescriptions.
Patient Portals
The patient portal software helps patients to view educational material, communicate with their provider, and view medication lists from their smartphones. The easy access to information via the patient portal platform improves patients’ understanding, keeps them more aware, and encourages them to take their medications.
Secure Messaging
The patient engagement EMR software encourages swift and secure HIPAA-compliant two-way communication at any time of the day. Patients can ask questions regarding their medication dosages, their side effects, or any other concerns from the comfort of their homes. Timely communication usually prevents patients from not taking their medications without cause.
Medication Refill Management
Renewing prescriptions has been made easy with the medication refill management functionality. This ensures that patients have their medications before they run out of medication. Clinicians can also actively keep a track of refill patterns and identify patients with poor adherence levels.
Remote Patient Monitoring
EMR software integrated with RPM tools is a great way to manage chronic conditions remotely. Providers in real-time can monitor glucose levels, heart rates, blood pressure, and medication usage patterns. Clinicians also receive alerts when the unstable patient data reflects potential adherence problems. This ensures that providers can take timely action to reduce hospital readmissions.
EMR Software Vendors with Patient Engagement Solutions
Leading EHR software providers in the USA have designed strong and user-friendly patient engagement software solutions to make meaningful impacts in patient involvement and thereby support medication adherence.
For example, Epic Systems and athenahealth EMR software have medication reminder functionalities, a patient portal, and a secure messaging facility to ensure healthcare organizations can combat the issue of medication non-adherence to positively impact health outcomes.
