Battling Adherence in a Slumping Economy

With special thanks to guest blogger Mistie Stevens

Remember when headlines were all about global warming? Today they're all about the economy, and the economy is impacting everything, including how patients choose to manage their diseases. In this time of penny pinching, pharma can help ensure that health care is one sacrifice patients won't have to make.

Health Care Becoming a Lower Priority for Some
Forced to make tough decisions about where every dollar goes, patients now have to take a hard look at how they prioritize their health. A recent poll from the National Council on Aging reports that in the past year, 25% of Americans age 44 and older with chronic conditions have put off getting their prescriptions or seeking health care because they can't afford it. Furthermore, a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll shows that 15% of respondents cut their pills in half or skip doses to make their prescriptions last longer.

And with layoffs reported daily, lack of insurance altogether has created a large, long-term hurdle.

How You Can Help
Now is the time to highlight the programs your company has worked hard to develop to be a good corporate citizen including:

• Banner placements through ad networks, sites for self-diagnosing, or simply highlighting programs more prominently on your home page can benefit your brand, as frugality is a point of both necessity and pride among consumers.
• Consider an email campaign to let your patients and prospects know about your cost-savings programs.
• And reach out to health care providers, urging them to recommend these valuable programs to patients at a time when they are more critical than ever.

How We Can Help
The Intouch Solutions team can help you track where your customers are going to look for this health information so you can intercept them with a positive message about your brand's solution to financial assistance. Let us know when you're ready to talk, because we all know we'll be talking about the impact of the economy on health care for a long time to come. Contact your Intouch Solutions representative, or contact us at getintouch@intouchsol.com.