New Study Finds Transition Plan for Medicaid-Eligible Seniors Converted to Medicare Part D Programs Effective at Maintaining Medication Coverage

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Adheris, Inc., an inVentiv Health company, announced today the results of a new study that examined medication use, out-of-pocket spending, and medication switching during the transition of Medicaid-eligible seniors to Medicare Part D. Their findings appear in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

On January 1, 2006, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services enacted a transition plan that automatically enrolled seniors dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles) into subsidized Part D programs; while participating Medicare Part D plans were required to relax drug restrictions at the point of conversion. The transition from Medicaid, with its generous drug coverage, to Medicare Part D, with its tiered pharmacy plans and formulary restrictions, caused widespread concern about compromised access to essential medications despite the precautionary measures listed above. This led many policy experts to question how the transition would affect prescription drug use.

BWH, HMS, and Adheris researchers evaluated drug use for 13,032 dual eligibles transitioning to Medicare Part D taking either clopidogrel, warfarin, statins, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), or benzodiazepines (which are not covered through Part D). Their findings show that the transition to Medicare Part D had no significant effect on the use of all study drugs, including the uncovered benzodiazepines. Cumulative reductions were seen in out-of-pocket expenses for all covered drugs, but there was a significant increase (over 90%) in out-of-pocket costs for the uncovered benzodiazepines. There was no significant change in the rate of medication switching in all study drugs except for the PPIs. However, there is convincing evidence that medications in the PPI class have similar efficacy.

“Fear about medication discontinuation and adverse health outcomes is often invoked as a reason to obstruct new policy implementation,” said Dr. William Shrank, an instructor at Harvard Medical School and the study’s lead author. “These study findings suggest that thoughtful preparation for transition to new coverage designs and use of strategies to ease the burden of transition may serve as an effective means of protecting patients without impeding progress.”

An abstract of this study is currently available online at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121475545/abstract.

About Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 757-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery network. In July of 2008, the hospital opened the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, the most advanced center of its kind. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and its dedication to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving more than 860 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by more than $416 M in funding. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information about BWH, please visit www.brighamandwomens.org.

About Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School http://hms.harvard.edu has more than 7,500 full-time faculty working in 11 academic departments located at the School's Boston campus or in one of 47 hospital-based clinical departments at 18 Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes. Those affiliates include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Forsyth Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hebrew SeniorLife, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Immune Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and VA Boston Healthcare System.

About Adheris, Inc

An inVentiv Health (NASDAQ: VTIV) company, Adheris Inc., provides direct-to-patient, pharmacy-based programs that provide valuable medication education and timely refill reminders. Adheris programs are HIPAA- compliant and specifically support the physician’s treatment choice by underscoring information that can enhance patient health. The Adheris pharmacy network includes more than 20,000 pharmacies, accounting for more than 45% of all retail prescriptions. For more information, visit www.adheris.com.