Enhancing Outcomes in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: An Economic Evaluation of Improving Medication Adherence for Buprenorphine Through Blister-Packaging.

Background: The opioid epidemic has severely impacted the US over the last 15 years. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist indicated for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and is recognized as an effective treatment when taken as prescribed. However, adherence rates have been low in real-world settings.

Improving Adherence and Reducing Health Care Costs Through Blister-Packaging: An Economic Model for a Commercially Insured Health Plan.

Purpose: To model the potential clinical and economic impact of blister-packaging medications for chronic conditions on medication adherence and healthcare costs in a commercially insured population.

Methods: A health economic model was developed to evaluate the potential impact of blister-packaging chronic medications for a commercially insured population. The chronic medication classes assessed were renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) antagonists, statins, non-insulin oral antidiabetics, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

Estimating the economic impact of blister-packaging on medication adherence and health care costs for a Medicare Advantage health plan.

Background: Medication nonadherence is a persistent challenge in the United States, leading to increased health care resource utilization (HCRU) and health care costs and worsened health outcomes. Medicare Star Ratings is a program developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to evaluate Medicare health plan quality and performance. Three of the Medicare Part D Star Ratings quality measures assess medication adherence, showing the importance CMS places on improving medication adherence in older adults.

Impact of connected dispensing technology with advanced analytics in a multicenter health system.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the impact of enterprise inventory optimization (EIO) technology and analytics on pharmacy labor, costs, and medication availability within a large integrated delivery network (IDN).

Methods: This article describes a mixed-methods, postmarket observational study assessing the impact of a solution of disparate technologies including automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs), centralized pharmacy inventory software, and controlled substance vaults connected by an inventory optimization analytics (IOA) tool. Four study modules were implemented over a 10-month period.

Appraising the clinical, operational, and economic impacts of automated medication dispensing cabinets in perioperative and surgical settings: A systematic literature review.

Background: Initiation of pharmacy automation and automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) in hospitals has been shown to improve clinical, operational, and economical outcomes. Implementation of ADCs in surgical areas has lagged behind that of traditional inpatient hospitals settings.

Objectives: To assess the documented impact of ADCs in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), perioperative, and surgical care areas.

Impact of automated dispensing solutions in long-term care facilities and closed-door pharmacies: A mixed methods study of medication management.

Background: Financial, operational, and clinical workflow impacts of deploying an automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) in long-term care (LTC) facilities based on actual observations have not been documented in peer-reviewed literature.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a closed-door pharmacy (CDP) implementing an ADC with unique secure, removable, and transportable locked pockets in an unstudied setting (LTC facilities) for management of first and emergency dose medications.

Practice Description: This study was conducted in 1 CDP and 2 LTC facilities.

Formulary management guiding principles for automated systems.

Purpose: Structural and financial changes in US healthcare are the driving forces reshaping care delivery and the technologies that clinicians use in their practice. Structural-level changes in healthcare organizations bringing facilities varying in size, systems, and complexity under the new integrated care delivery networks create unprecedented challenges. This paper develops guiding principles for formulary management in automated systems that facilitate medication management and alignment of medication information technology (IT) solutions in healthcare organizations ranging in size from a single facility to very large enterprise/multifacility networks.

Development of a metrics dashboard for monitoring involvement in the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Purpose: An electronic tool to support hospital organizations in monitoring and addressing financial and compliance challenges related to participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program is described.

Summary: In recent years there has been heightened congressional and regulatory scrutiny of the federal 340B program, which provides discounted drug prices on Medicaid-covered drugs to safety net hospitals and other 340B-eligible healthcare organizations, or "covered entities." Historically, the 340B program has lacked a metrics-driven reporting framework to help covered entities capture the value of 340B program involvement, community benefits provided to underserved populations, and costs associated with compliance with 340B eligibility requirements.