But the company began to see that a growing number of users weren’t always taking all of their medication. A follow-up revealed the reason why -- they couldn’t afford the rising cost of their prescriptions.
That led to this week’s announcement of a partnership with another app -- GoodRx, a source for prescription and healthcare discounts. The goal is to not only to save consumers money but to also make sure they take their medications as their health care providers have prescribed.
"High drug prices have long been one of our users' chief healthcare complaints,” said Kim Shah, CEO of KnowYourMeds Inc. “While the government keeps talking about lowering drug prices, the reality is that prices have gone up for many drugs in the last year. This relationship with GoodRx allows us to offer much needed valuable discounts to our users."
Discounts at major pharmacies
GoodRx allows consumers to download coupons that they can use at major pharmacies, lowering the cost of medication -- sometimes significantly. The partnership between the two firms is designed to remove cost as a factor that could negatively affect whether prescriptions are filled.
“As a medication and condition management platform, adhering to medication and condition protocols is a critical piece of our overall mission to motivate users to take control of their health,” KnowYourMeds said in a press release. “Through this integration, KnowYourMeds addresses one of the leading factors in non-adherence which is the rising costs of medications.”
According to Medicare, not following the doctor’s orders will decrease the effectiveness of the treatment. It can not only have health consequences but also add to the nation’s health care expenses.
The National Community Pharmacists Association has estimated non-adherence to prescription instructions contributes approximately 290 billion dollars every year in added costs to the health care system in the United States.