Free Patient Support site
December 6, 2012
POOR adherence to chronic
disease medication is a worldwide
problem of striking magnitude,
according to Professor Peter Carroll.
The comments come as part of
Carroll’s address to media at the
launch of a new patient support
portal, freepatientsupport.com.
The new portal aims to tackle non
compliance in Australian patients
by connecting them with support
programs that can help them
maximise the health benefits from
their medications by facilitating
compliance.
“The World Health Organisation
says increasing the effectiveness of
adherence to medications has a far
greater affect on the public health
than actually finding something
new to treat a condition with,” said
Professor Carroll.
“There are seriously good
medicines out there to treat
chronic disease states but they will
only work if people take them
appropriately on a regular basis,”
he added.
Launching the website, health
entrepreneur and site founder
Michael Clayton, said the portal will
focus on consumers and the
promotion of support services to
consumers.
“One of the issues our industry
faces is that we compete, but we
have the same problem and that’s
where freepatientsupport.com
comes in,” he said.
“It is an above brand, patient
centred strategy: it’s lifted above
the level of the individual
manufacturers, the individual
NGO’s, I’m lifting it above
government, and actually focusing
it on the consumer,” he added.
The site works in a similar vein to
insurance website iSelect, in that it
will feature support programs offered
free of charge for medicines from
pharmaceutical companies,
Government agencies,
NGOs and charities.
“Connecting patients to support
services has proven very difficult in
Australia, especially if it is done at
the level of an individual company,
patient advocacy group or health
department,” said Clayton.
“But if we can aggregate those
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services and locate them in one
place where searching, selecting and
signing up are easy, then we help
overcome a major barrier.”
Australians can utilise the site by
entering the medication they want
a support program for, as well as
the condition that the medication is
treating, after which they will be
shown a range of support programs
from which they can then sign up
to.
Discussing the importance of
compliance programs, Clayton also
told media of a recent study which
indicated that within six months
50% of patients were off their
medications.
“Free patient support is the start
of a solution, the start of a national
discussion,” he said.
At present, the site can be
reviewed by healthcare professionals
and industry stakeholders.
As such, stakeholders can now
register services and support
programs on the site; and ‘not for
profit’ organisations can register
free of charge.
The consumer launch is planned
for February 2013.
MEANWHILE in talking about
pharmacists, Professor Carroll
struck out at criticism leveled at the
profession for taking enrolment
fees for patient support programs.
“If you can enrol people in these
programs and help them take their
medications as they should, that
gives them a much better health
outcome,” he said.
“We should congratulate
pharmacists not criticise them,” he
added.
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