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Background Hospitals commonly provide a short-term supply of free P2Y 12 inhibitors at discharge after myocardial infarction, but it is unclear if these programs improve medication persistence and outcomes. The ARTEMIS (Affordability and Real-World Antiplatelet Treatment Effectiveness After Myocardial Infarction Study) trial randomized hospitals to usual care versus waived P2Y 12 inhibitor copayment costs for 1-year post-myocardial infarction. Whether the impact of this intervention differed between hospitals with and without pre-existing medication assistance programs is unknown. Methods and Results In this post hoc analysis of the ARTEMIS trial, we examined the associations of pre-study free medication programs and the randomized copayment voucher intervention with P2Y 12 inhibitor persistence (measured by pharmacy fills and patient report) and major adverse cardiovascular events using logistic regression models including a propensity score. Among 262 hospitals, 129 (49%) offered pre-study free medication assistance. One-year P2Y 12 inhibitor persistence and major adverse cardiovascular events risks were similar between patients treated at hospitals with and without free medication programs (adjusted odds ratio 0.93, 95% CI, 0.82-1.05 and hazard ratio 0.92, 95% CI, 0.80-1.07, respectively). The randomized copayment voucher intervention improved persistence, assessed by pharmacy fills, in both hospitals with (53.6% versus 44.0%, adjusted odds ratio 1.45, 95% CI, 1.20-1.75) and without (59.0% versus 48.3%, adjusted odds ratio 1.46, 95% CI, 1.25-1.70) free medication programs ( P interaction =0.71). Differences in patient-reported persistence were not significant after adjustment. Conclusions While hospitals commonly report the ability to provide free short-term P2Y 12 inhibitors, we did not find association of this with medication persistence or major adverse cardiovascular events among patients with insurance coverage for prescription medication enrolled in the ARTEMIS trial. An intervention that provided copayment assistance vouchers for 1 year was successful in improving medication persistence in hospitals with and without pre-existing short-term medication programs. Registration URL: https://www.clini​caltr​ials.gov/. Unique identifier: NCT02406677.

Background: Nonadherence to optimal medical therapy following myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with adverse clinical outcomes such as stent thrombosis, recurrent cardiovascular events, and death. Whether adherence to medications prior to MI predicts post-MI medication adherence is unknown., Methods: We assessed adherence to P2Y 12 inhibitors and statins before and after admission for MI among 8,147 MI patients who had Medicare insurance with Part D prescription coverage. Adherence was defined as a proportion of days covered with medication fills ≥80%. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between pre- and post-MI P2Y 12 inhibitor adherence. As few patients were on P2Y 12 inhibitors pre-MI, we also examined the association of pre-MI statin adherence with post-MI P2Y 12 inhibitor and statin adherence., Results: Pre-MI medication nonadherence was observed in 427 of 2,633 (16%) patients on preadmission P2Y 12 inhibitors and 1,233 of 6,934 (18%) patients on preadmission statins. Nonadherent patients were more likely to be of nonwhite race and have multiple prior hospital admissions. Patients who were nonadherent to P2Y 12 inhibitors pre-MI were substantially less likely to adhere to P2Y 12 inhibitors at 90 days (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.33, 95% CI 0.25-0.43) and 1 year post-MI (adjusted OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.21-0.39) compared with patients who were adherent pre-MI. Pre-MI statin nonadherence was also associated with lower post-MI adherence to P2Y 12 inhibitors at 90 days (adjusted OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.53-0.79) and 1 year (adjusted OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.29-0.54)., Conclusions: Prior medication adherence predicts post-MI adherence to P2Y 12 inhibitors. Increasing accessibility of medication adherence data in the medical record may be an important tool to identify patients at higher risk for post-MI medication nonadherence and target efforts to improve adherence., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Importance: Patients with dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility have a higher burden of chronic disease conditions and increased health care utilization compared with patients with Medicare coverage alone, but the treatment patterns and outcomes of dual-eligible patients with myocardial infarction (MI) are unknown., Objective: To examine the association of dual-eligible status with clinical outcomes and adherence to medication regimens (hereinafter "medication adherence") among older adults after MI., Design, Setting, and Participants: In this retrospective study conducted from February 2015 to April 2016, we linked patients 65 years or older enrolled in a national myocardial infarction registry (the Acute Coronary Treatment Intervention Outcomes Network Registry-Get With the Guidelines [ACTION Registry-GWTG]) from July 1, 2007, to December 31, 2009, to Medicare claims data to obtain 1-year follow-up and medication adherence data. The ACTION Registry-GWTG is the largest quality-improvement registry of patients with MI in the United States. Included patients were all 65 years or older; had Medicare Parts A, B, and D; presented with MI; and survived to hospital discharge., Exposures: Dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility., Main Outcomes and Measures: Death, readmission, major adverse cardiovascular events (death, recurrent MI, stroke), and medication adherence at 1 year., Results: Of 17 419 Medicare patients discharged alive after MI, 4674 (27%) were dual eligible. Dual-eligible patients were more likely to be female (64% vs 49%) and nonwhite (29% vs 6%), with a higher prevalence of comorbid conditions and more frequent presentation with non-ST elevation MI (non-STEMI) (75% vs 69%). Dual-eligible patients were less likely to receive primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STEMI (77% vs 81%), revascularization for non-STEMI (58% vs 65%), and prescription of secondary prevention medications at discharge. After multivariable adjustment, dual eligibility status was associated with a higher risk of readmission at 30 days (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06-1.26), death at 1 year (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.14-1.36), and major adverse cardiac events at 1 year (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12-1.31). Dual-eligible patients had higher 1-year adherence to medications prescribed at discharge (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.39-1.74) than Medicare-only patients., Conclusions and Relevance: Compared with Medicare-only patients, older adults with dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility presenting with MI have superior rates of medication adherence but higher rates of postdischarge readmission and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Background: The use of oral P2Y12 receptor inhibitors after acute myocardial infarction (MI) can reduce risks of subsequent major adverse cardiovascular events (composite of all-cause death, recurrent MI, and stroke), yet medication persistence is suboptimal. Although copayment cost has been implicated as a factor influencing medication persistence, it remains unclear whether reducing or eliminating these costs can improve medication persistence and/or downstream clinical outcomes., Design: ARTEMIS is a multicenter, cluster-randomized clinical trial designed to examine whether eliminating patient copayment for P2Y12 receptor inhibitor therapy affects medication persistence and clinical outcomes. We will enroll approximately 11,000 patients hospitalized for acute ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation MI at 300 hospitals. Choice and duration of treatment with a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor will be determined by the treating physician. Hospitals randomized to the copayment intervention will provide vouchers to cover patients' copayments for their P2Y12 receptor inhibitor for up to 1 year after discharge. The coprimary end points are 1-year P2Y12 receptor inhibitor persistence and major adverse cardiovascular events. Secondary end points include choice of P2Y12 receptor inhibitor, patient-reported outcomes, and postdischarge cost of care., Conclusion: ARTEMIS will be the largest randomized assessment of a medication copayment reduction intervention on medication persistence, clinical outcomes, treatment selection, and cost of care after acute MI., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Seifu M Abera,1,2 Colin O’Donnell,3 Taufiq Salahuddin,1,2 Krishna Prabhu,4 Carol E Simons,1 P Michael Ho,5,6 Stephen W Waldo,3,5,6 Jacob A Doll1– 3 1Section of Cardiology, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA; 2Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 3Department of Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking Program, VHA Office of Quality and Patient Safety, Washington, DC, USA; 4Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA; 5Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA; 6Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USACorrespondence: Jacob A Doll, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 S. Columbian Way, S111-CARDIO, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA, Tel +1 206-277-6199, Fax +1 206-764-2257, Email jdoll@uw.eduObjective: Adherence to anti-platelet medications is critical following coronary stenting, but prior studies indicate that clinician assessment and patient self-assessment of adherence are poorly correlated with future medication-taking behavior. We therefore sought to determine if integrated pharmacy data can be used to identify patients at high risk of non-adherence after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).Methods: Using Veteran Affairs (VA) Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking (CART) data linked with pharmacy records, we assessed adherence to cardiovascular medications from 2012 to 2018. Adherence was defined as the proportion of days covered (PDC) ≥ 0.80. We assessed the association of pre-PCI adherence with post-PCI adherence to P2Y12 inhibitors and clinical outcomes using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models, respectively.Results: Among 56,357 patients, 66.0% filled at least 1 cardiovascular medication within VA for the year prior to PCI and were evaluable for adherence. Pre-PCI non-adherence was 20.7%, and non-adherent patients were more likely to be younger and present non-electively. Non-adherent patients were less likely to adhere to P2Y12 inhibitor therapy after PCI (Adjusted OR 0.45 C.I. 0.41– 0.46), compared with adherent patients, and had a higher adjusted risk of mortality (HR 1.17 C.I. 1.03– 1.33).Conclusion: Adherence to cardiovascular medications prior to PCI can be assessed for most patients using pharmacy data, and past adherence is associated with future adherence and mortality after PCI. Use of integrated pharmacy data to identify high-risk patients could improve outcomes and cost-effectiveness of adherence interventions.Plain Language Summary: Why was the study done?: Non-adherence to anti-platelet medications is common following coronary stenting procedures and is associated with worse outcomes, but predicting non-adherence is challenging.What did the researchers do and find?: The researchers examined pharmacy fill-based adherence assessments before and after stenting procedures. Pharmacy data can provide adherence estimates for most patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention, and these estimates are associated with downstream medication-taking behavior and clinical outcomes.What do the results mean?: Health systems should seek to integrate pharmacy-based adherence estimates into routine care for patients with cardiovascular disease. Identification and targeting of patients at high-risk for non-adherence may improve the impact and cost-effectiveness of future research and health policy interventions aimed at improving adherence.Keywords: percutaneous coronary intervention, medication adherence