Best Poster Awardees Announced at AMCP 2023 Focus on Adherence

Alexandria, Va., April 4, 2023 — AMCP Foundation and CVS Health announced the recipients of AMCP Foundation’s Best Poster Awards at AMCP 2023. This semiannual competition culminates twice per year at AMCP national meetings, with awards for new practitioners presented in three categories. 

“The insightful and innovative studies showcased by this year’s awardees are indicative of a bright future for managed care pharmacy,” said Paula J. Eichenbrenner, MBA, CAE, AMCP Foundation executive director. “Our awardees showcased ingenuity and impressed our judges with their understanding of real-world evidence principles.” 

Congratulations to the honorees for their important contributions to evidence-based medicine. 

Best Poster Presentation by a Graduate Student:  Bilqees Fatima, PharmD, MPhil, PhD Candidate at University of Houston, College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX: “Patterns of Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC) Adherence After Composite Outcome(s) Among Older Adults with Atrial Fibrillation.” 

Concerned with suboptimal DOAC adherence and worsening patient outcomes, Dr. Bilqees mapped adherence trajectories of DOACs during a one-year follow-up period after a clinical event. Her retrospective cohort analysis included continuously enrolled Medicare Advantage adults diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and prescribed a DOAC after a clinical event. Follow-up showed ~62% patients on non-adherent trajectories (PDC<0.80). Factors associated with non-adherence to DOACs included: low-income subsidy, NSAID use, DOAC type, CAD, age, and >1 cardiac or bleeding episode during follow-up. Her research invites creative interventions to address non-adherence to optimize patient outcomes. 

Best Poster Presentation by a Resident or Fellow: Adaeze Amaefule, PharmD, Health Economics and Outcomes Research Fellow at Jefferson College of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA: “Prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder and Medication Adherence: A Multi-Employer Payer Perspective.”  

Dr. Amaefule’s retrospective claims analysis estimates medication adherence and health care resource utilization (HCRU) for commercially insured adult enrollees diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and prescribed antidepressant medication. Claims data showed that the majority of MDD patients were female and aged 40-49 years. Meanwhile, non-adherent patients, identified by PDC <80%, were female (53.7%) and aged ≤ 29 years (65.5%). Prevalence of MDD among commercially insured individuals may be low, but these findings point to the sub-populations that will likely benefit most from efforts to increase adherence.  

Best Poster Presentation by a Student Pharmacist: Yuqi Lan, PharmD Candidate at University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Seattle, WA: “Pharmacist-led Quality Improvement Project to Improve Patient Adherence to Their Antidepressant Medications in Ambulatory Care Setting.” 

Aiming to improve a local health center’s antidepressant adherence rate, Mr. Lan conducted a 6-month quality improvement study. Pharmacists and interns provided adherence counseling and refill reminders to patients on antidepressant therapy. Aligning study metrics with the antidepressant medication management HEDIS Measure, the acute phase adherence goal was higher than the continuous phase (60% vs. 45%). Despite not achieving goal rates, both phases observed increased patient adherence. Mr. Lan’s research supports patient engagement and emphasizes the potential for pharmacist-led interventions to improve outcomes. 

Since 2002, AMCP Foundation's Best Poster Competition has allowed student pharmacists and new practitioners to demonstrate analytic proficiency, poster development, and technical skills. AMCP Foundation also periodically invites established researchers to compete for topical Best Poster Awards.  

The Best Poster Awards at AMCP 2023 were made possible by funding partner CVS Health, the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, the Best Poster judges, and research preceptors who support AMCP Foundation's efforts to recognize future pharmacists and new practitioners conducting transformative research. 

About AMCP Foundation  
Established in 1990, the 501(c)3 nonprofit AMCP Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). It exists to advance collective knowledge and insights on major issues associated with the practice of pharmacy in managed care health care settings. By facilitating innovative research initiatives and providing educational opportunities to learn about managed care pharmacy, the AMCP Foundation invests in the future of managed care. Visit www.amcpfoundation.org.  
  
About CVS Health  
CVS Health is the nation's premier health innovation company helping people on their path to better health, by making quality care more affordable, accessible, simple and seamless. The Company has ~9,900 retail locations, ~1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with ~102M plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving 1M+ patients/year and specialty pharmacy services. We offer a leading standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan and Medicare Advantage offerings. https://www.cvshealth.com.