Thirty-two million Americans are taking three or more prescription drugs. Of those, 53% are taking the wrong drug or wrong dose, resulting in seven million preventable medication errors, seven thousand preventable deaths, and $21B in direct medical costs annually.
Some of these are your members. Fortunately, there is a simple test that can drastically reduce those numbers.
A SOLUTION
Pharmacogenomic testing (PGx) – completed with a simple oral rinse – identifies how an individual’s unique genetic makeup reacts with specific drugs. Due to changes in DNA, many people have a slower response or no response at all to specific medications, while others may experience increased side-effects.
PGx makes it easier for your members and their doctors to find the right drug at the right dose without, sometimes fatal, adverse pharmacy outcomes.
Dr. David Merritt, PharmD, RPh, Chief Pharmacist at Prescription Care Management, explains, “Adverse Drug Interactions (ADI) are the fifth leading cause of death in the US, and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) cause over 100,000 deaths per year. PGx testing can greatly decrease these outcomes by taking the guesswork out of prescribing. When patients avoid harmful drugs and are prescribed optimal drugs, their pharmacy outcomes are vastly more positive.”
EMPLOYER FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
This focus on finding the right drug at the right dose, starts with you, the employer. PGx reduces medical costs for physician visits and hospitalization, decreases member absenteeism for doctor visits and sick days, and creates a more healthful, productive work force, but more importantly, it improves member health.
“Employers can foster a culture of pharmacy wellness by providing PGx testing for their high-risk members who consume most of their medical budget and have the greatest potential for adverse pharmacy outcomes,” Merritt said, “And as an added benefit, PGx can cut group drug spend.”
FIND SAVINGS
With PGx, you can find additional savings on medical costs while promoting a pharmacy benefit focused on reducing ADRs, improving member health, and saving lives.
“We already have clients who are helping their members with this innovative approach,”
Merritt said, “PGx testing is a long-term solution to achieve better healthcare outcomes while decreasing drug and medical expenditures for the patient and client.”
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