Patients with Diabetes Who Receive Heart Medications Via Mail Less Likely to Visit Emergency Room

Focusing at how mail order pharmacies improve health care, a study found that diabetes patients who receive prescribed heart medication via mail are less likely to visit the emergency room when compared to those who pick the prescription in person.

Off lately there has been a trend of mail order services that deliver medications to the patients. This was initiated to use the lower cost mail order pharmacy services. But this concept suffered a downturn in 2011.

The new Kaiser Permanante study was conducted on 17,219 adult patients who were suffering with diabetes. They received their first heart medication prescription in 2006.

The researchers followed the participants for the next three years and noticed that the diabetes patients below the age of 65 who followed the mail order pharmacy were less likely to visit the emergency room for any cause. On the other hand those who picked the prescriptions in person were 40 percent more likely to visit the emergency room.

This is the first study that focuses on the significant impact mail order pharmacy on the patients' safety as well as utilization. They also investigate the concerns of the patients who suffer from adverse outcomes as they have a direct contact with the pharmacist.

"Overall, we didn't see any safety concerns," said Julie A. Schmittdiel, PhD, research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and the study's lead author. "For the vast majority of people, mail order pharmacy works well."

Members of Kaiser Permanente are given the option of either using the mail order pharmacy or picking the prescription in person from a pharmacy. Medications are delivered by mail with no shipping cost and the order request can be made by phone or online.

The study did not analyze the link between the use of mail order pharmacies and less ERs visit. They plan to further investigate into this association.

Previous studies conducted reveals that those opting for mail order service have a potentially better medication adherence as well as good cholesterol management.

The study was published in the American Journal of Managed Care.