AdherenceRx announces the development and integration of Patient Adherence Index

Oct 27 2009

AdherenceRx (www.adherencerx.com) is pleased to announce the development & integration of the Patient Adherence Index™ (PAI™). This new index brings together evidence-based patient behavior mapping scores associated with Positive Psychology & Behavior Change… and the Patient Activation Measure™ (PAM™) developed by Judith Hibbard, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the University of Oregon.

The introduction of the PAI™ and the suite of interactive tools will dramatically enhance the company’s ability to segment patients into the most effective and efficient patient adherence pathways. The PAM™ was developed to assess an individual’s knowledge, skills and confidence, all of which play a vital role in one’s ability to manage their personal health. The PAM™ segments patients into four progressively higher “activation levels,” shedding light on their self-management abilities and providing pivotal insight into the potential barriers associated with non-adherence. By understanding patients’ “activation levels,” AdherenceRx Health Coaches (www.AdherenceRx.com) can further apply behavior mapping scores to tailor health coaching & patient support programs to patient needs, says Dr. Neal Mayerson, Chairman of Hummingbird Coaching services and founder of the Values In Action Institute which serves as the backbone to research in Positive Psychology and Human Character Strengths.

AdherenceRx Patient Adherence Pathways can range from intensive behavioral health coaching for high risk patients to more automated reminder messaging, virtual coaching, patient incentives and financial support programs for those patients who do not require more mediated (‘coach intensive’) support. At the low end of activation, individuals tend to be passive in managing their health and typically fail to see the connection between their own behaviors and health outcomes. At the high end, individuals understand that relationship and have become strong self-managers across a constellation of behaviors. However, even high-activation-level individuals may benefit from coaching to stay on course in times of change or stress or to close gaps to best practice self-care.

“We know that higher levels of activation strongly correlate with improved self-care behaviors, including higher rates of adherence,” said Chris Cresswell, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based AdherenceRx, LLC (www.AdherenceRx.com). “By focusing on increasing a participant’s activation level, our health coaches can help patients build confidence and become better at self-managing their conditions. Providing our health coaches with these new evidence-based tools will help us tailor interventions to what is realistic and achievable for an individual along a journey of improved medication adherence and healthier lifestyles.”

More than 85 studies have documented the importance of “patient activation” in predicting a broad range of behaviors, drivers of behavior and health outcomes across wide demographic and cultural variables. These assessment capabilities will not only enhance AdherenceRx’s coaching efforts, but will also provide important metrics in evaluating and optimizing the effectiveness of AdherenceRx programs.

http://www.adherencerx.com/