The case for pharmacy-based patient health management for chronic conditions
Written by Chris Ward
  • In the United States, the Center for Disease Control estimates that seven out of every ten deaths and seventy-five percent of all health care spending is attributable to chronic diseases most of which can be prevented or effectively managed.1
  • In the U.K. it is estimated that 60 percent of hospital bed days are devoted to chronic disease and related complications.2 The U.K has developed a number of strategies to meet the challenges of the rising prevalence of chronic disease including an emphasis on self-management and a strong effort to improve medicines use.3
  • In the U.S. 88 percent of Medicare spending is consumed by patients with three or more chronic conditions.4
  • The U.K Department of Health estimates that 50 percent of patients fail to take their medicines properly5 and has initiated a number of self-care projects such as the Expert Patients Programme and the Medicines Management Programme.
  • According to a U.K Department of Health discussion document, “an intrinsic chronic disease management equation is that increased investment in pharmaceutical care offsets hospitalization and medical procedure costs.” 6
  • A U.S. study of a community-based disease management service showed substantial reductions in healthcare costs in patients with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and asthma.7

 

 

1 Center for Disease Control, The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors, 2004
2 Belfield G and Colin-Thome D, Improving Chronic Disease Management, Department of Health, 2004
3 Chronic Disease Management and Self Care: a practical aid to implementation of national Service Frameworks in primary care, Department of Health, august 2002
4 Congressional Budget Office based on the statement of Gerard Anderson, Director, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation before the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Apr. 16, 2002
5 Chronic Disease Management and Self Care: a practical aid to implementation of national Service Frameworks in primary care, Department of Health, august 2002
6 Chronic Disease Management – A Report for the NPA Board www.npa.co.uk/pdf/cdisman.pdf, accessed Oct 24, 2005
7 Munroe W et al, Economic evaluation of pharmaceutical involvement in disease management in a community pharmacy setting, Clinical Therapeutics, Vol. 19, Issue 1, Jan-Feb 1997 pp113-123

Tags:
blog comments powered by Disqus
back to top
 
Share
 

Top Topics

Latest News

Popular Articles