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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Robert Federici, MSPH¹, Gary Harmon, MPH¹, Wendy Roy, MHA², Annette Beuchler, MBA, CHE², Larry S. Webber, PhD¹, and John J. Lefante, PhD¹. (1) Biostatistics, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2001, New Orleans, LA 70112-2715, 504-988-2115, rfederic@tulane.edu, (2) Cenla Medication Access Program, The Rapides Foundation, 1101 Fourth St., Suite 300, Alexandria, LA 71301

The Cenla Medication Access Program (CMAP) provides prescription medications as well as medication education for low income individuals with chronic illnesses. In April 2002, CMAP introduced a prescription drug card program in order to provide medications to individuals who use private physicians allowing them three prescriptions per month for an eight dollar co-pay. The participants are tracked longitudinally with one of the primary relationships of interest being how medication adherence affects hospital admissions. An adherence of ³ 80% is considered ²adherent² and < 80% is ²not adherent² for the purpose of this analysis. This study follows 496 individuals from enrollment through 6-months in the program. The sample has 342 (68.9%) females, 189 (38.1%) African Americans, with an average age of 64.8 years. A multiple logistic regression model is used to determine the effect of adherence on hospital admissions in the 6 months after enrolling in CMAP. After adjusting for pre-CMAP hospital admission status, age, race, gender, and number of medications, adherent patients are less likely to be admitted to the hospital than non-adherent patients [O.R. = 1.66, 95% C.I. (.38, .96)]. Overall, individuals who were adherent to their medications were more likely to not use the hospital since joining CMAP.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the impact of Cenla Medication Access Program (CMAP).
• Recognize that medication adherence is a significant predictor of hospital admissions among CMAP participants.
• Analyze hospital admissions in CMAP using multiple logistic regression models.

Keywords: Adherence, Access and Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation