A spoonful of information helps employees medicine go down

Kalamazoo, Mich. - With prescription drug costs increasing in double digits, HR managers can write employees an information prescription to encourage compliance with medication.

Hope Health ñ a Kalamazoo, Mich.-based health communication publisher ñ has just the right remedy to help employees make healthy lifestyle choices that might lower their need for prescription drugs and, when drugs are necessary, help them manage their medicine wisely. Itís a new brochure entitled Are You Taking Hills of Pills . . . What You Need to Know About Prescription Drugs ñ although it could easily be re-titled A Spoonful of Information Helps Your Prescription Drug Costs Go Down.

Hereís the reality: Only about half of employees actually take medication their doctors prescribe at all. Many donít take medication as prescribed and risk complicating their medical conditions. The result? Higher health care costs, including prescriptions.

Overall, illnesses not properly treated with prescription medication are estimated to cost business more than $100 billion per year in hospital costs, time off work, more doctor visits and more expensive and more potent drugs. The human cost is measured in terms of increased illness and complications. Conditions such as asthma, depression and diabetes, if properly managed, can lead to higher productivity and less absenteeism.

The easy-to-read, three-panel brochure helps employees take medications, if needed, as prescribed by addressing their common excuses:

* I never filled the prescription.

* I took the wrong dose. Iím not sure how to take it.

* I forgot.

* The doctor told me to take the medicine, but I really donít want to.

* Iím feeling just fine. I didnít think I needed it anymore.

The brochure helps employees identify why they arenít taking medication as prescribed, and overcome their concerns about cost and fear of side effects. It includes a seven-point checklist for employees to review their current medications.

Employers can order from Hope Health, online at www.HopeHealth.com or by phone at (800) 334-4094. Bulk quantity discounts start with orders for 100 or more.

Distributed by HR Marketer.com