ARTEMIS: Co-Payment Reduction Improves Patient and Physician Adherence to Post-MI Treatments

Patients who suffered MI and who were given payment vouchers to reduce their co-payments were more likely to adhere to guideline-recommended treatments, and the prescribing physicians were more likely to prescribe more effective drugs, according to new study results presented at ACC.18 in Orlando.    

The ARTEMIS trial enrolled 11,001 patients treated for MI. All patients were insured (64% private insurance, 42% Medicare, and 9% Medicaid). Study centers were assigned to deliver either intervention or usual care. Patients at the interventional centers received vouchers waiving the co-pay for their antiplatelet medications for out to 1 year.     

According to the results, 87% of patients who received vouchers reported taking their medications as prescribed versus 84% in the usual-care group. An analysis of pharmacy records showed an adherence rate of 55% versus 46% in the usual-care group. Further analysis of a subset of patients who were blood tested revealed that 92% of patients in the voucher group were adherent versus 88% in the usual-care group. All differences were statistically significant. No statistically significant differences in the co-primary endpoint of combined rate of heart attack, stroke, or death from any cause were reported.     

“Our findings raise further questions about how to best deploy co-payment reduction to effectively improve clinical outcomes, as well as how to consider co-payment reduction strategies alongside other measures to improve patient adherence,” lead author Tracy Wang, MD, MHS, an associate processor of medicine at Duke University Medical School, said of the results.    

For more information about this study, visit ACC.org by clicking here