Abstract 12310: First Real-World Impact of a Novel Digital Medicine Program on Medication Adherence and Hospital Utilization Among Heart Failure Patients

IntroductionAmong heart failure (HF) patients, poor medication adherence is associated with increased healthcare utilization. Addressing nonadherence is integral to developing effective treatment plans, improving shared decision-making, and optimizing patient outcomes. Usual methods of measuring adherence (e.g., self-report, pill counts, refill records) are unreliable, retrospective, and do not allow precise interventions. Proteus Discover® is a novel digital medicine program (DMP) includingDigiMeds (medications with ingestible sensors), a wearable patch communicating ingestion, and a mobile application. The DMP captures objective adherence data, enabling patients and providers to intervene in real-time to address missed doses and optimize therapeutic outcomes. This analysis evaluated the real-world impact of the DMP on adherence and hospital utilization in HF patients.MethodsMedicare HF patients were identified in hospital or clinic settings and started on digital versions of their HF medications. The index date was the date of first scheduled ingestion. Pharmacists monitored patients’ adherence through a secure web portal; interventions included outreach and counseling when adherence dropped below 80%. Ingestion adherence (number of ingestions recorded/number of scheduled doses), 30-day pre- vs post-index hospital utilization, and patient satisfaction were evaluated.ResultsA total of 29 patients used the DMP for 77 ± 19 (mean ± SD) days; with a follow-up period of 165 ± 46 days (age 75 ± 14 years [mean ± SD]; 65% male; 72% Caucasian; 41% with a psychiatric comorbidity). Mean ingestion adherence was 79.7 ± 15.4%. Mean CHF-related hospital visits per patient within 30 days was lower post-index (0.03, 1 visit total) vs pre-index (0.45, 13 visits total). Of the 10 patients who completed a satisfaction survey, 90% found the DMP easy to use and 80% agreed the DMP provided accurate information to their care team.ConclusionsThese real-world data suggest the DMP can be integrated within care management programs in hospital and ambulatory settings to enable timely, targeted adherence interventions and optimize clinical outcomes. Future controlled studies and real-world analyses should assess confirmatory impact of DMP on clinical outcomes and healthcare resource utilization.