Population Health Data Strengthens Memorial Healthcare’s Fight Against Medication Non-Adherence

Memorial Healthcare System has launched a targeted population health initiative to address one of the most persistent and costly problems in U.S. care delivery: medication non-adherence. By integrating DrFirst prescription fill data directly into its Epic Systems electronic health record, the South Florida health system aims to identify and intervene with high-risk patients before gaps in therapy lead to preventable complications.

A Persistent Driver of Avoidable Costs

Medication non-adherence contributes to as many as 69 percent of hospital admissions, nearly 125,000 deaths, and an estimated $300 billion in preventable costs annually, according to multiple public health estimates. For patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, missed or inconsistent medication use can rapidly escalate disease progression, trigger acute events, and strain already-limited health system resources.

Memorial’s initial focus targets more than 1,100 patients with diabetes who are at heightened risk of non-adherence or polypharmacy. Pharmacy care teams will use DrFirst’s population health platform to access real-time prescription fill data, enabling them to engage patients through telehealth, digital messaging, and coordinated outreach. The goal is to identify adherence barriers early, optimize therapy, and reduce downstream complications.

From Reactive to Proactive Care

The initiative reflects a broader shift in chronic disease management: moving from retrospective chart reviews toward near-real-time patient monitoring. Integrating DrFirst’s data into Epic streamlines clinician workflows by providing a unified view of prescription histories within the same interface used for clinical decision-making. This reduces the lag between identifying a problem and intervening with the patient.

The approach aligns with recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which emphasize the value of data-driven outreach in managing chronic conditions. Early intervention supported by accurate medication history has been linked to improved glycemic control in diabetes patients, reduced readmissions, and better patient satisfaction scores.

Technology Selection and Long-Term Vision

Memorial selected DrFirst after nearly a decade of using the company’s medication management tools. The decision was based on demonstrated accuracy in capturing comprehensive medication histories, a factor critical to avoiding duplicate prescriptions, adverse drug interactions, and gaps in therapy.

While the current focus is diabetes, Memorial plans to expand the program to other chronic conditions including hypertension, high cholesterol, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This mirrors a growing trend among large health systems to consolidate population health infrastructure and apply it across multiple disease states for greater efficiency and scalability.

Financial and Operational Impact

The economic case for medication adherence interventions is strong. According to Health Affairs, targeted adherence programs can generate returns within two years by reducing avoidable hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Embedding these capabilities into existing EHR workflows can further improve ROI by lowering the administrative overhead associated with manual data retrieval and patient tracking.

For Memorial, the integration also supports value-based care objectives by improving quality metrics tied to medication adherence, such as the Medicare Part D star ratings. Higher ratings can positively influence payer contracts and patient trust.

Balancing Innovation with Patient Privacy

The program’s reliance on prescription fill data raises important privacy considerations. While protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), prescription data sharing must still meet internal security standards and align with patient consent protocols. Memorial’s deployment occurs against a backdrop of state-level privacy law variation, a challenge noted by industry leaders as they scale digital health initiatives.

As Memorial Healthcare System operationalizes this model, its results could help define best practices for integrating pharmacy data into population health strategies. For other health systems, the case underscores the potential of combining intelligent medication management tools with proactive clinical engagement to improve patient outcomes and reduce the economic toll of chronic disease.