Health Insurance Providers
Unsecured medications pose risks to health plan members and their families and often lead to preventable injuries, emergency room visits and hospitalizations. DisposeRx can help payors design safe medication disposal solutions that fit their members’ unique needs and encourage them to make small healthy choices that can have a big financial impact.
Members are at risk
According to data from Medicare Part D, over 3 million beneficiaries receive concurrent opioids and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Unfortunately, many of those opioids go on to cause adverse drug events (ADE) like accidental poisonings. A study presented to the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that opioids were implicated in nearly half of fatal poisonings of U.S. toddlers during a recent 14-year period, with most deaths occurring at home while the children were being supervised.
Prevention is an option
Making a small investment in proper medication disposal could prevent unnecessary care, especially in high-cost settings such as the emergency room or hospital. A study conducted by Shriners Hospital for Children found that 95% of patients or their parents disposed of their medications when a physician provided education and a disposal solution and then followed up with a reminder phone call.
Payors are Uniquely Positioned to help
Health plans are in a unique position: they can educate members about drug disposal and encourage providers to discuss risks with patients. Educating members of the risks and providing a safe disposal option available to their membership and patients, health plans can take the extra step in keeping their members safe. DisposeRx works with all kinds of health plans and payors to customize and facilitate programs that meet the needs of each plan’s members.
DisposeRx can structure a program for your membership. Options include:
- Providing packets to physician practices to distribute to patients at the time a prescription is written
- Mailing packets to members
- Implementing pharmacy reimbursement programs to encourage education at the pharmacy counter
- Distributing packets at large community events
- Offering DisposeRx packets through the member portal
Reducing costs through prevention
Reducing the risks associated with unused medications in the home is one way of helping to keep family members and friends safe. We are proud to partner with pharmacy and healthcare leaders, as well as community organizations, to help educate about the importance of prompt and proper medication disposal.
Please contact DisposeRx, Inc., if you would like additional information about our product or education initiatives.
