Employer Medication Compliance Initiatives
Executive Summary
November 2009
Background
In May, 2009 The Benfield Group (Benfield) invited health and pharmacy benefit decision-
makers and influencers from 155 target corporations (see text box) to participate in a 23-item
(20-minute) online survey regarding the importance
of medication compliance* and employers’ efforts to
improve compliance. The goal of 75 completed
surveys was achieved within 10 days.
Following the survey, 13 in-depth interviews were
completed to gather additional insights regarding
medication compliance issues and trends.
Interviewees included eight employers who had
completed the survey, and five other pharmacy
benefit stakeholders (two employee benefit
consultants, and one disease management
company, one health plan and one PBM). Employer
interview targets were selected from the survey
respondents whose answers indicated they were
more advanced in their medication compliance
analyses and strategies.
This summary presents notable findings and
conclusions from this research, and then outlines
potential implications for employers, pharmaceutical
manufacturers and other health care stakeholders
with an interest in improving medication compliance.
* Medication Compliance is the term used with employers and stakeholders in the survey and
interviews. The term was explicitly defined as: “…following a medicine treatment plan
developed by an individual’s health providers, filling prescriptions and taking medications as
prescribed.”
Key Findings
The key findings from the research include:
1. Medication Compliance Is Among Employers’ Top Health Management Objectives:
Asked to rate the importance of a variety of workforce health management objectives,
89% of employers gave Medication Compliance (described as: To increase the number
of people taking medicines as prescribed to manage their health conditions) a rating of 4
or 5 on a 1-5 scale of importance. Only Preventive Care (97%) and Lifestyle Behaviors