Non-compliance. It can refer to a lot of things but we most often hear it when we’re talking about taking your medications. People who choose not to take their prescribed medications as their doctors have ordered are guilty of non-compliance. Some say that’s their problem since they’re the ones who get sick from not taking their meds. Others, however, see it as a bigger social problem because these people who opt not to keep themselves well can end up costing the government a lot more in health care treatment down the line.

A lot of different things are being done to try to limit patient non-compliance. Enhanced education to alert patients about the importance of taking their medications correctly is one common approach. Sending text message alerts to patients when it’s time to take their meds is an increasingly common option. And now we’re starting to see patients get paid for taking their meds when they are supposed to.

One controversial new program uses a computerized pill dispenser system to enter people into a lottery system when they take their medication. Names are randomly drawn and money is awarded to the winner. This serves as an incentive for people to remember their meds. Of course, there is always the chance that these non-compliant folks aren’t ingesting the meds because they don’t believe they need them but the general idea is that forgetful patients will be more likely to remember their meds if there is monetary incentive to do so.

The controversy comes from the idea that you shouldn’t have to pay people to take their medication. Adults should take their meds because it’s what’s good for them. However, the programs seem to be successful in increasing medication compliance which could end up saving money for the government down the road. So is it a smart idea?

Prevention of disease is always smart. It’s a lot better to prevent it at a low cost than to have to pay a lot of money to treat it whether you’re the patient or the government’s health care program. There are probably better options for encouraging long-term medication compliance than paying people but there’s no doubt that money gets people to do things faster than most other things will. So maybe it’s not a great solution but it might be a smart one after all.

Via Neatorama

Tags: health, medication compliance, patients won't take meds, pay patients to take meds