Research Projects - Diabetes

Diabetes is a major health concern in the Pacific.  The following project focuses on this important area.

Reducing Cost-Related Medication Nonadherence in Persons with Diabetes

In a statewide physician survey, 9 in 10 physicians said difficulty knowing drug costs prevented them from helping patients with medication costs.  Non-adherence to medication regimens is an important and persistent public health challenge in patients with chronic diseases and cost-related mediation non-adherence is an important area of research. 

This study will examine the effectiveness of a hardcopy/web-based physician Prescribing Guide (PG) www.PrescribingGuide.com developed by the investigator in improving medication adherence and lowering medication costs for patients with diabetes by helping physicians easily know drug costs when prescribing.  The PG summarizes multiple formularies in a standard format, highlights widely covered drugs, gives retail prices from discount pharmacies, and has links to assistance programs.  Hawaii’s BlueCross BlueShield - HMSA medical insurance provider and The University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine are collaborators on the study.