NCPA launches new medication adherence program for pharmacists

NCPA is launching a new educational program on medication adherence geared toward pharmacists.

Called Simplify My Meds, the program is based on the concept of refill “synchronization,” the coordination of patients’ prescriptions for refill on the same day each month. Synchronization facilitates improved patient adherence by reducing the potential for gaps between refills and providing mechanisms to identify nonadherence and other medication-related problems, NCPA maintains.

Beyond adherence, synchronization also streamlines pharmacy operations, allows daily workloads to become more predictable, decreases labor costs, and improves inventory control. “Patients' refills are coordinated to occur on a specific day, allowing you to plan and schedule your dispensing time and freeing up time for counseling and other patient-care activities,” said Douglas Hoey, executive vice president and CEO of NCPA.

NCPA members who participate in the free program receive a detailed operating manual on how to implement a coordinated refill program, along with tips from pharmacists who are already providing this service. They also can participate in webinars teaching them and their staffs how they can improve adherence.

Members are provided with a starter kit of marketing materials that would introduce consumers to the idea of picking up their medications only once a month. “If pharmacists want to reach out to physicians, we have the tools to help them do this as well,” said Jennifer Bruckart, director of program outreach and special projects for NCPA.

For information, visit www.ncpanet.org or email adherence@ncpanet.org.