Abstract 10979: Real-world Impact of a Novel Digital Medicine Program on Clinical Outcomes and Total Healthcare Costs in Patients With Drug-refractory Hypertension, Diabetes, and/or Hyperlipidemia

IntroductionMedication adherence is critical to ensure optimal treatment outcomes in patients with chronic conditions. Traditional methods to measure adherence (e.g., self-reporting, refill records) do not allow for timely interventions. Proteus Discover is a novel digital medicine program (DMP) consisting of digital medicines (medications co-encapsulated with ingestible sensors), a small patch, and a mobile application. The DMP captures objective adherence data, allowing for missed doses to be addressed in real-time. Real-world impact of the DMP on adherence, healthcare costs, and clinical outcomes were analyzed in patients with drug-refractory hypertension (HTN), diabetes (DM), and hyperlipidemia (HLD).MethodsPatients with systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg, hemoglobin A1c ≥ 8%, and/or lipoprotein levels (LDL)≥100 mg/dL were identified at Desert Oasis Healthcare. Digital medications were prescribed for use with previously prescribed medications for 2-3 months, with the index date being the date of first scheduled ingestion. Outcomes included ingestion adherence, changes in SBP/A1c/LDL, healthcare costs and inpatient admissions pre- vs post-index. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon paired tests were used depending on data distribution.ResultsA total of 59 patients (mean ± SD age72 ± 11 years) used the DMP for 81 ± 43 days, with a follow-up of 140 ± 59 days. Mean ingestion adherence was 87%. Among 44 patients with HTN, mean SBP decreased by 12 mmHg (153 to 141 mmHg; p < 0.001). In 11 patients with DM, mean A1c decreased by 0.4% (9.5 to 9.1%; p = 0.38). Among 14 patients with HLD, mean LDL decreased by 25 mg/dl (127 to 102 mg/dL; p = 0.008). Total healthcare costs per patient per month (PPPM) decreased by $38 ($80 to $42) pre- vs. post- index (p < 0.001). Inpatient admissions PPPM also significantly decreased pre- vs. post-index (Pre0.014; Post0.008; p < 0.001).ConclusionsIn real-world settings, the DMP can be integrated into medication management programs to provide timely, individualized care and adherence interventions, which can improve clinical outcomes, reduce healthcare costs and utilization. Longer follow-up and larger cohorts will be needed to evaluate the durable and scalable impact of the DMP in broader populations.