Take Heart: Medication Adherence Programs Solve Problems Before They Start

Every year, cardiovascular disease claims more 20 million lives worldwide. But there’s a heartening fact buried in these sobering statistics—up to 80% of these deaths are preventable, according to the World Heart Federation. 

World Heart Day, now in its 25th year, is a reminder to prioritize what is widely considered the most important muscle in the human body. In the United States alone, nearly half of all adults have high blood pressure, with 95 million requiring prescription medications alongside lifestyle changes.  

Between a diagnosis of high blood pressure and treatment to prevent potential heart attacks and strokes lies a gap that has long frustrated healthcare providers. Ensuring patients successfully maintain prescribed medication regimens is crucial. 

What if healthcare systems could predict which patients are most likely to struggle with their medications and intervene before their health deteriorates? That’s no longer a hypothetical question—it’s exactly what Piedmont Healthcare in Georgia has accomplished with a data-driven predictive analytics program.

A New Approach to Medication Adherence 

Non-adherence has long been recognized as a crisis in cardiovascular care, but traditional approaches have been largely reactive. 

Melissa Robinson, PharmD, Piedmont’s Population Health Pharmacy Program Manager, offers a fresh perspective on medication adherence challenges. “What we like to say is that medication non-adherence isn’t something that patients choose, it’s something that happens to patients,” she told Chief Healthcare Executive. 

This insight drives Piedmont’s strategy. Instead of waiting for patients to miss medications or show up at their next appointment with uncontrolled blood pressure, the health system developed a predictive analytics model that identifies those most likely to struggle with adherence before problems arise. 

The program relies on real-time prescription fill data integrated directly into Piedmont’s Epic electronic health record (EHR) system. This allows the clinical team to identify the highest priority patients for intervention to keep them on their medications. Targeted outreach like this improves clinical outcomes and helps meet value-based care goals. 

Real Results for Patients With Hypertension 

The program’s initial results have been encouraging and Piedmont has documented improvements in several key areas, including: 

• Enhanced medication adherence measured by the proportion of days covered (PDC) 

• Better blood pressure control with improvements in both diastolic and systolic values among the treatment group 

Robinson’s team has learned that adherence challenges vary across different demographics. “I think the younger populations are very busy. They are working families, they have children, they have a lot going on,” she said, emphasizing that life circumstances is a very common cause of adherence challenges. 

Piedmont’s approach combines multiple data sources to create a comprehensive picture of each patient’s adherence risk, including: 

• Prescription fill data from DrFirst to track medication pickup patterns 

• Predictive analytics algorithms within their Epic EHR to identify at-risk patients 

This integrated approach allows healthcare providers to move beyond reactive treatment to proactive intervention, reaching patients before they fall off track with their medications. 

Lessons for World Heart Day 

The success of Piedmont’s program offers valuable insights for other healthcare systems.  

“Developing a successful predictive analytics model and implementation is an investment, both of time and resources,” Tim Hall, Senior Business Intelligence Developer at Piedmont Healthcare, told Healthcare IT News. “A multidisciplinary team approach that includes developers, business owners, executives, operations, clinicians, analysts and other stakeholders will help to ensure success.” 

As we mark World Heart Day, this innovative program reminds us that improving cardiovascular outcomes is more than just prescribing medications—it requires an understanding of the complex reasons why patients struggle with adherence. Measuring success means looking beyond adherence rates alone to include clinical impact, financial outcomes, and operational efficiency improvements. 

To learn more about predicting and preventing medication adherence problems, check out the on-demand webinar co-sponsored by HIMSS. 

WATCH THE WEBINAR NOW