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Image Source: Simon van der Koelen/Unsplash Medication non-compliance is the failure to take a medication according to the prescribed directions. Although medications are effective in combating disease, approximately 50% of patients do not take their medications as prescribed. Poor adherence to medication leads to increased morbidity and death and is estimated to incur costs of approximately $100 billion per year.1 While following instructions for your medications may seem simple, there are a lot of different factors that lead to medication compliance. What Causes Non-Compliance? Non-compliance factors can be broken down into three categories: Patient-related, physician-related and health system/team building-related. Patient-Related Factors: While there are several patient-related factors, the main contributor to medication non-compliance is inadequate health literacy. In the United States alone, an estimated 90 million adults have inadequate health literacy.1 Inadequate health literacy can lead to a lack of understanding their condition or medication instructions. In order to improve compliance, understanding the ‘why’ behind why patients don’t take medications correctly and providing the appropriate education is an absolute necessity. These reasons are very individualized and the more a patient understands their condition and how to control it, the more likely they are to feel impowered and motivated to manage their disease and adhere to their medications. Physician-Related Factors: Physicians can often unintentionally lead to medication nonadherence by prescribing complex drug regimens, prescribing medications that may be unaffordable to the patient, or inadequately explaining possible side-effects a patient may experience. A solution to this is incorporating a pharmacist into the care team to provide medication education and spending more time with the patient when developing their care plan. Health System/Team Building-Related Factors: Unfortunately, due to fragmented health systems, physicians do not have easy access to information from a patient’s numerous care providers. This can cause issues when developing an effect care strategy and communicating with a patient. Another factor in health systems that lead to non-compliance are drug costs, which can greatly limit a patient’s access to care. Increased implementation of electronic medical records and electronic prescribing has the potential to increase adherence by identifying patients at risk of nonadherence and targeting them for intervention. Another solution can be the incorporation of a medication therapy management service, which can help identify instances of nonadherence and possible substitutions for costly medications. How Does Tria Health Help Prevent Non-Compliance? Tria Health is offered through your benefits plan. With Tria, you have the option of receiving a one-on-one private consultation with one of Tria Health’s pharmacists over the phone. During your consultation, your pharmacist will review all your current medications, including vitamins, supplements and lifestyle habits. Your pharmacist will be able to identify any medication interactions, affordable substitutions and answer any other medication-related questions you may have. At the end of your consultation, you’ll receive a customized care plan that Tria will assist in coordinating with any of your physicians. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068890/ #MedicationNonCompliance #PatientRelatedFactors #NonCompliance #adherence #TriaHealth #PhysicianRelatedFactors #HealthSystemTeamBuildingRelatedFactors #medicationnonadherence

Image Source: iStock.com/klenova It seems the older you get the more medications accumulate. About 30 percent of older adults in the United States and Canada filled a prescription in the last few years for one of many medications that the American Geriatrics Society recommends they avoid. In addition, 66 percent of older adults are taking five drugs or more per day – some of them are no longer necessary and may even be causing harm.1 While there’s been a lot of focus placed on physicians to help curb this problem there may be another solution: Pharmacists. The Benefit of Pharmacists Pharmacists do so much more than just dispense prescriptions. They have a wealth of knowledge to assist patients with safe medication use, potential drug interactions as well as preventative services and over the counter medications. Pharmacists are often available when other health care providers are not, and most often do not require you to schedule an appointment to ask questions about your healthcare needs. Pharmacists are an Ideal Partner for Physicians There have been a multitude of studies conducted over the years measuring patient improvement when a pharmacist is included as part of the care team working with the physician. In a recent study, published in JAMA, patients were randomly assigned to two groups. With one group, pharmacists gave both patients and their physicians educational materials on the specific drug that might have been inappropriately prescribed. The control group got the usual care, with no educational materials. Within six months, 43 percent of the patients in the intervention group had stopped taking one of the selected medicines. The corresponding figure was 12 percent in the control group. Tria Health’s Pharmacists Tria Health was founded on the belief that pharmacists play a vital role in the management of high-risk patients that drive the majority of health care spend. If Tria Health is currently a part of your healthcare plan, call the Tria Health Help desk today for any of your medication-related questions. Tria Help Desk: 1.888.799.8742 Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/upshot/pharmacists-drugs-health-unsung-role.html is #TriaHealthPharmacist #Pharmacists #JAMA #OptimizedDrugTherapy #OptimizedMedications #AmericanGeriatricsSociety

Tris Pharma, Inc. has issued a voluntary nationwide recall of infant ibuprofen amid concerns the medication, which was destined to be sold at several major retailers, may contain a higher concentration of ibuprofen than labeled. The lots were sold under Walmart, CVS Pharmacy and Family Dollar. As of now, the company has not received any reports of serious adverse events related to the recall. Why is it being recalled? Per Tris Pharma, “The reason for the recall was a potential higher concentration of Ibuprofen of less than 10% above the specified limit in some bottles from these three batches. Safety issues or toxicity is generally accepted to be a concern in infants at doses more than 700% of the recommended dose.” If Ibuprofen is taken in excess, a side effect could be permanent kidney injury, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, tinnitus, headaches or possible stomach bleeding. What products are recalled? Affected products are labeled “Infants’ Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension” and were labeled to contain 50 mg. of ibuprofen per 1.25 mL. NDC; LOT; EXPIRATION; DESCRIPTION ; COMPANY; 49035-125-23 00717009A 00717015A 00717024A 02/19 04/19 08/19 Equate: Infants’ Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension, USP (NSAID), 50 mg per 1.25 mL, 0.5 oz. bottle Wal-Mart Stores Inc 59779-925-23 00717024A 08/19 CVS Health: Infants’ Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension, USP (NSAID), 50 mg per 1.25 mL, 0.5 oz. bottle CVS Pharmacy 55319-250-23 00717024A 08/19 Family Wellness: Infants’ Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension, USP (NSAID), 50 mg per 1.25 mL, 0.5 oz. bottle Family Dollar Services Inc. Next steps you should take To determine whether a specific product has been recalled, patients should look at the drug name and see if the NDC, Lot, and expiration dates matches those listed above. If you have one of the recalled medicines, follow the recall instructions provided by the specific company. This information will be posted to the FDA’s website. Consumers with questions regarding this recall can contact Tris Customer Service at 732-940-0358 (Monday through Friday, 8:00am ET- 5:00pm PT) or via email at Customer Service Email. Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this drug product. Need help? Contact your Tria Health pharmacist today for additional assistance with the recall process: 1.888.799.8742 Source: https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm627780.htm #InfantIbuprofen #Recall #FDA #TrisPharma #MedicationRecall #InfantIbuprofenRecall

Image Source: https://www.goredforwomen.org National Wear Red Day is February 1st. Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association’s national movement that advocates for more research and swifter action for women’s heart health. The movement also challenges people to know their risk for heart disease and act to reduce their personal risk. Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds. Fortunately, we can change that because 80 percent of cardiac and stroke events may be prevented with education and action. What are the Signs and Symptoms?1 While there are many similarities in the symptoms of heart disease in men and women, there are even more differences. Listed below are the signs and symptoms, specific to women, that are important to watch out for: Heart Attack Symptoms: Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain. Stroke Symptoms: Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden severe headache with no known cause Take Steps to Reduce Your Risk2 Not only can you wear red to raise awareness but you can also take steps to reduce your own risk. The American Heart Association has developed an online tool called My Life Check. My Life Check allows you to find out your heart score and see if you’re at risk based on Life’s Simple 7: Managing your blood pressure Control your cholesterol Reduce your blood sugar Get active Eat better Lose weight Stop smoking Find out Your Heart Score Tria Health Helps Control Heart Disease Tria Health offers Chronic Condition Management through our Pharmacy Advocate Program. Heart Disease and stroke are two of the many chronic conditions that Tria Health targets. Clinical Pharmacists provide one-on-one telephonic counseling for members and act as their personal advocate to help them navigate through the health care system. Through reviewing a member’s medications and lifestyle habits, Tria Pharmacists can make recommendations that will help control their chronic conditions and help them feel better! Questions? Call the Tria Health Help Desk at 1.888.799.8742 Sources: https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/signs-and-symptoms-in-women https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/know-your-risk/risk-factors #WearRedDay #SignsandSymptoms #GoRedforWomen #TriaHealth #HeartAttackSymptoms #AmericanHeartAssociation #HeartDisease #NationalWearRedDay #StrokeSymptoms

Image Source: Alice Donovan Rouse/Unsplash With winter weather sweeping across the country, many individuals are experiencing winter-onset depression also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). While the cause of SAD is not known, brain chemicals that affect your mood can change according to the amount of light you get each day.1 While some may be more susceptible to SAD than others, there are ways of preventing and managing SAD until you get through the season. What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that happens during a change of seasons, usually occurring during autumn and winter months when there is less sunlight. Symptoms usually go away in late spring or early summer.1 How is SAD Treated? There are four primary treatment methods for SAD: Light therapy, medications, psychotherapy, and mind-body connection techniques.2 Light Therapy: A method that mimics natural outdoor light using a special light box with the goal of changing the brain chemicals linked to mood. It typically takes a few days to a few weeks before becoming effective. Your doctor will be able to help determine if this is the best option for you and identify which product would be the most effective. Medications: Individuals with depression are more susceptible to SAD, making antidepressant treatment a good option. Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is another option to treat SAD. Therapy can help you learn coping mechanisms to manage your stress and changing your negative thoughts and behaviors. Mind-Body Connection: This includes a variety of techniques such as meditation, guided imagery and music or art therapy. How Can Tria Health Help? If Tria Health is offered through your benefits plan, you have the option of receiving a one-on-one, private consultation with one of Tria Health’s pharmacists over the phone. During your consultation, your pharmacist will review all your current medications, including vitamins and supplements. If you’re interested in exploring medication treatments for SAD, Tria’s pharmacist will be able to provide you with recommendations and coordinate with your doctor(s). Questions? Call the Tria Health Help Desk at 1.888.799.8742 Sources: https://www.drugs.com/cg/seasonal-affective-disorder.html https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20364722 #medications #MindBodyConnection #LightTherapy #SAD #Psychotherapy #TriaHealth #WinterOnsetDepression #Depression #SeasonalAffectiveDisorder #MentalHealth

Image Source: Mohamed_hassan/pixabay.com January 12th is National Pharmacist Day! Pharmacists do so much more than just dispense prescriptions. They have a wealth of knowledge to assist patients with safe medication use, potential drug interactions as well as preventative services and over the counter medications. Take the time this Saturday to thank your pharmacist for everything they do! Pharmacists are Easily Accessible Pharmacists are often available when other health care providers are not, and most often do not require you to schedule an appointment to ask questions about your healthcare needs. Safe and Effective Medication Use Pharmacists help ensure that medications control conditions the right way. They help minimize any side effects and safeguard against any possible interactions with other medications that lead to more expensive health care costs such as emergency room visits, hospitalization, etc. OTCs and Supplements Pharmacists are experts in prescription medications, supplements and over the counter medications. They can tell you about potential interactions with foods, other drugs, or dietary supplements. And they can help you pick the perfect product. With over 100,000 over-the-counter products on the market, your pharmacist is always there to lend a helping hand!1 Tria Health’s Pharmacists Tria Health was founded on the belief that pharmacists play a vital role in the management of high-risk patients that drive the majority of health care spend. If Tria Health is currently a part of your healthcare plan, call the Tria Health Help desk today for any of your medication-related questions. Tria Help Desk: 1.888.799.8742 Source: http://67.222.18.91/~aphm/pharmacists-can-help #TriaHealthPharmacist #Pharmacist #MedicationUse #NationalPharmacistDay #TriaHealth

Image Source: Jenny Hill/Unsplash While exercising can be beneficial for anyone, people with chronic conditions can significantly improve their health and manage their symptoms. If you’re concerned about how often you can exercise or which exercises are safe, talk to your doctor before starting your routine. Find out what you need to know about chronic conditions and exercise! How Can Exercise Improve Your Symptoms? There are four main types of exercise that can help you manage your symptoms and improve your health; Aerobic, High-intensity, Strength training and flexibility exercises (You can find descriptions of each, here). By practicing one or more of these exercise methods, you’ll be able to directly impact your chronic conditions symptoms. For example1: Heart disease. Regular exercise can help improve your heart health. Recent studies have shown that interval training is often tolerated well in people with heart disease, and it can produce significant benefits. Diabetes. Regular exercise can help insulin more effectively lower your blood sugar level. Physical activity can also help you control your weight and boost your energy. Asthma. Often, exercise can help control the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. Back pain. Regular low-impact aerobic activities can increase strength and endurance in your back and improve muscle function. Abdominal and back muscle exercises (core-strengthening exercises) may help reduce symptoms by strengthening the muscles around your spine. Check with Your Doctor & Get Started Today! Checking with your doctor before exercising is never a bad idea, depending on your condition(s) there could be some important precautions you need to take. They will also be able to provide recommendations with pain reduction and necessary dietary adjustments. If you feel nervous starting alone, you might want to consider a group exercise program. You might also find condition-specific programs at your local hospital or clinic. Have any Questions? Contact the Tria Health Help Desk at 1.888.799.8742 Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-and-chronic-disease/art-20046049 #Exercise #TypesofExercise #Diabetes #ExerciseRoutine #ChronicConditionManagement #Asthma #HeartDisease #BackPain

Image Source: Emma Simpson/Unsplash The New Year is almost here! While we’re all excited for a fresh start and a chance to make some positive changes, it can be easy for our resolutions to fall astray if we don’t properly prepare. We want to help you along your journey and increase the likelihood of your resolutions sticking. Building healthy habits can change your life and decrease the chance of you getting a chronic condition. Follow these steps to help you set and keep your resolutions. Choose a Realistic Resolution: As much as we’d all like to be able to become expert guitar plays or marathon runners, it’s not always attainable within a year. It’s important to set realistic goals to increase the likelihood of achieving them. So maybe instead of becoming a marathon runner, your goal is to start running once a week. Focus on One Goal at a Time: While you might be able to accomplish all your goals, you’ll increase your success if you instead focus on one or maybe two main goals. Break it down: Now that you have your goal in mind, it’s time to break it down and plan. If we’re sticking with our running example, that means planning one day a week to run. Start small and then throughout the year work up to maybe running 2-3 times a week. Find Support: A support system can be essential to meeting your goals. Having someone to hold you accountable can help give you the push you need. But make sure if you ask for someone’s help, you’re specific in what you’re asking of them. Whether it be words of affirmation or a gym buddy, you need to be clear for it to be beneficial. Don’t Give Up: Mistakes will happen, just remember that one mistake doesn’t have to derail your goals. Learn, adapt and overcome the challenges you face. Resolution Ideas for Medication Health Improving your medication health is a great resolution idea. to keep you healthy in the new year. Here’s what you can do: Review all your medications with your pharmacist at least once a year. Having an expert review your medications will keep you healthy. Even if your medications don’t change, changes in your body and your reaction to medications can impact medication effectiveness over time. Carry your medication list with you and review your list with other health care providers at your appointments. Many times, health care providers might not have visibility into your medication regimen. Having this information can ensure better health care decision making. Make sure you are up to date with vaccinations and preventative screenings.  Early detection is key to effective treatment and can mean life or death…literally. Follow all diet and exercise recommendations from your health care team. Schedule and attend all yearly physicals and checkups Questions? If your health plan includes Tria Health, you can talk with a clinically trained pharmacist and receive a customized care plan. This includes recommendations for medication adjustments, preventative services and lifestyle modifications. Tria’s pharmacist will be able to help you achieve your goals and improve your health. Visit www.triahealth.com to learn more. #ResolutionIdeas #NewYearsResolution #NewYearresolution #MedicationHealth #AttainableResolutions #ResolutionTips #NewYearsResolutions

Image Source: rawpixel/Unsplash Are you currently taking a prescription medication? Per the government’s National Health Survey, about 20 percent of adults are taking three or more drugs. While most patients are aware of potential side effects with prescription medication, it’s important to be aware of combining certain drugs and other substances. Being aware of drug interactions can help prevent serious side effects and help ensure medication effectiveness. What Factors Impact Interactions?1 Unfortunately, it is hard to predicts all drug interactions and you won’t always know how you’ll react to a certain medication. The likelihood of interaction causing problems can depend on several factors including: Genetics Age Lifestyle (Diet & Exercise) Other medical conditions The length of time both drugs are taken Types of Drug Interactions Drug-Drug: There are a multitude of side effects that can occur from drug-drug interactions as there are so many possible drug combinations. Drug-drug interactions can lead to a prescription medication losing effectiveness, allowing for a disease-state to go unmanaged or it can lead to dangerous side effects like heart damage or death. Drug-Food/Beverage: Certain foods can affect the medications you take but medicine can also affect how your body digests and processes food. Drug-Supplement: A common misconception with supplements is just because they’re natural, doesn’t mean they’re safe. Supplements can change how the body absorbs, metabolizes or excretes drugs and influence how potent the drug is in the system. Simple steps to avoid drug interactions Talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any new medications. Make sure they know about any vitamins and supplements you are currently taking. Follow all the dosing instructions listed on each of your medications. Keep an updated medication list on hand for any of your medical appointments. You can also use AARP’s online drug interaction checker Tria Health can help If Tria Health is offered through your benefits plan, you have the option of receiving a one-on-one private consultation with one of Tria Health’s pharmacists over the phone. During your consultation, your pharmacist will review all your current medications, including vitamins and supplements. Tria Health will assist you in identifying any possible drug interactions or savings opportunities! Source: https://www.drugwatch.com/health/drug-interactions/ #DrugInteractions

It’s National Influenza Vaccination Week! While flu activity can begin as early as October, it can last well into March. The CDC and its partners choose December for NIVW to remind people that it is not too late to get a flu vaccine. With this holiday approaching, it’s important to get vaccinated to help protect both you and others from the flu. Even if you haven’t yet been vaccinated and have already gotten sick with flu, you can still benefit from vaccination since the flu vaccine protects against three or four different flu viruses (depending on which flu vaccine you get).1 What are the benefits of the flu vaccine? The flu vaccine can keep you from getting the flu If you still get sick, the flu vaccination has been shown to reduce the severity. Flu vaccination helps prevent serious medical events associated with some chronic conditions Vaccination has been associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who had had a cardiac event in the past year. Flu vaccination also has been shown in separate studies to be associated with reduced hospitalizations among people with diabetes and chronic lung disease. Vaccination can help protect both children and women during/after pregnancy. Do you have any questions regarding the flu vaccine? Tria Health provides one-on-one confidential counseling with a pharmacist for any of your medication related questions. If Tria Health is currently a part of your healthcare plan, call the Tria Health Help desk today for any of your questions. Tria Help Desk: 1.888.799.8742 Source: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/nivw/about.htm #Fluvaccination #flu #NationalInfluenzaVaccinationWeek #CDC #fluvaccine #FightFlu #flushot

Image Source: Ousa Chea/Unsplash In October, the FDA cleared the first DNA test meant to be marketed directly to consumers to help them determine how well certain drugs may work for them.1 The DNA test, conducted by 23andME, provides information on 33 genetic variants that the company say are associated with how patients respond to more than 50 commonly prescribed prescription and over-the-counter medications. While this test is the first consumer directed to be cleared by the FDA, expect to see more in the coming years as pharmacogenetics becomes more mainstream. But the big question is…does it really work? Background: What is Pharmacogenetics? Pharmacogenetics or pharmacogenomics is the study of how genetics impact pharmacology. Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing is used for determining how an individual will respond to a particular medicine.2 With this type of testing, clinicians would be able to provide a personalized medication plan, rather that prescribing based off the average population. This helps avoid trial and error in finding optimal dosages. What are the caveats? The FDA’s marketing authorization came with crucial caveats. The agency cautioned that the test cannot assess whether a drug is appropriate, or gauge a patient’s ability to respond to any specific medication.3 This essentially means that a patient still needs a clinician’s insight in finding the correct medication, but utilizing the results of a DNA test can assist in the dosing process. Pricing can also vary with DNA testing. In many cases, the costs may not outweigh the benefits. Questions? If your health plan includes Tria Health, you can talk with a clinically trained pharmacist and review all your current medications (prescription, over the counter and supplements). Tria Health’s pharmacists will help make sure your medications are effectively treating your condition(s) and identify any cost savings opportunities. Sources: https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm624753.htm http://www.rxeconsult.com/healthcare-articles/Overview-Of-Pharmacogenetic-PGx-Testing-Benefits-Costs-And-Role-In-Personalized-Medicine-853/ https://www.statnews.com/2018/10/31/fda-clears-23-and-me-genetics-test-drug-effectiveness/ #Pharmacogenetics #DNATesting #23andME #FDA #Pharmacogenomics #MedicationTherapyManagement

Image Source: Rawpixel/Unsplash According to a new study released by the journal Annals of Family Medicine, nearly half of people who take certain types of prescription drugs continue taking them for longer than is recommended or safe. The prescription drugs include antidepressants, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and bisphosphonates (osteoporosis and bone density treatments).1 Most of these medications are only meant to be taken for a certain period, otherwise they can become less effective, less useful, or can lead to more serious side effects. How Does This Happen? The authors of this study attribute some of the results to “legacy prescribing”, a situation that occurs when doctors who start someone on a prescription for a good reason may later renew it without a full assessment of whether or not it’s still needed. Per Nitin S. Damle, M.D., past president of the American College of Physicians and a physician in private practice in Rhode Island, “If there’s no follow-up and [patients’] prescriptions are just renewed electronically, there’s very little thought as to whether they need to be on it or not.” What’s the Risk? One of the biggest potential dangers of continuing a prescription for too long is that every on going prescription increases thechances of drugs interacting and causing a harmful reaction.2 There is also an increased risk in side effects and unnecessary costs due to non-optimized medication therapy. What Should You Do? If you’re worried about your current medication regime, here are a few tips to help you feel confident in what you’re taking: Discuss all your current medications with your doctor, at least once a year. If you have multiple doctors, it can be difficult to ensure they’re all on the same page. At your annual checkup, talk to your primary doctor about all your current medications. Talk to your doctor about reducing your medications While your doctor will know what dosage is best for you, it never hurts to have a yearly discussion to see if you can lower any of your medication dosages. This helps in combating legacy prescribing. If your health plan includes Tria Health, you can talk with a clinically trained pharmacist and review all your current medications (prescription, over the counter and supplements). Tria Health’s pharmacists will help make sure your medications are effectively treating your condition(s) and identify and cost savings opportunities. For more tips, click here. Have any Questions? Contact the Tria Health Help Desk at 1.888.799.8742 Sources: https://www.consumerreports.org/drugs/should-you-stop-taking-that-medication/?EXTKEY=AMSNLF01 https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/healthyliving/should-you-still-be-taking-that-medicine/ar-BBPDpo6?li=BBnba9O #PrescriptionMedication #SideEffects #LegacyPrescribing #MedicationTherapyManagement #PPIs