Patient Engagement & Medication Adherence

The problem behind the problem.

Nonadherence is rarely a single problem. Some patients forget. Others intentionally skip doses because of side effects, cost, doubts about benefit or fear of dependence. Some never fill the first prescription. Others stop when they feel better, or when symptoms they expected never appear. Complex regimens, low health literacy, depression, cognitive difficulties and limited support at home all play a role. Treating these different patterns with the same reminder program helps some patients and frustrates many others.

Organizations also struggle to see adherence clearly. Pharmacy refill data, claims, device data and clinical notes sit in different systems, so the early signals of disengagement, such as a late refill or a missed appointment, are noticed too late. Engagement programs often measure enrollment or message opens rather than whether patients actually take medication or follow up. Without integrated data and behavioral insight, it is difficult to know which patients need what kind of support and when.

How we deliver patient engagement & medication adherence.

1. 01Observe

   Listen to patients and care teams

   We interview patients, caregivers, pharmacists, nurses and physicians, and observe how treatment plans are explained and experienced. We pay close attention to unintentional barriers, such as forgetting and complexity, and intentional ones, such as beliefs about medication, side effects and cost. Patients are treated as experts in their own lives.

2. 02Signal

   Integrate data and find early signals

   We bring together refill, claims, appointment, app and clinical data where available to identify early predictors of disengagement and distinct adherence types, from first-fill abandonment to gradual drift. These patterns become predictive KPIs that let care teams intervene before nonadherence affects health outcomes, rather than discovering it months later.

3. 03Design

   Design support for each barrier

   We design interventions matched to adherence types: regimen simplification and habit anchoring for forgetting, motivational interviewing conversations for ambivalence, cost navigation for financial barriers, and plain-language education for misunderstanding. Messages, outreach timing and channels are tailored, and care team workflows are designed so support is realistic within existing staff capacity.

4. 04Test

   Pilot with real patients

   We test interventions with patient groups through pilots or randomized comparisons, measuring refill behavior, follow-up attendance and patient experience. Usability testing with patients of varied ages, abilities and literacy levels ensures that tools and materials work in practice. We collaborate with clinical and compliance teams to ensure tests are appropriate and safe.

5. 05Scale

   Operationalize adherence support

   We help organizations embed successful interventions into care team workflows, pharmacy programs or digital products, train staff in brief motivational techniques and build dashboards that flag patients at risk. We design for sustainability, so support continues reliably after launch, and we establish regular reviews to refine the program as patient populations change.

Deliverables.

What changes.

Who engages us.

We work with health systems, specialty and retail pharmacy programs, payers, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, digital health companies and patient advocacy organizations. Clients include population health leaders, pharmacy directors, patient services teams and product leaders. Typical triggers are quality measures tied to adherence, a new therapy with complex administration, high first-fill abandonment, low engagement with a patient support program, or a digital adherence tool that patients download and then abandon.

Industries

• Healthcare & Health Systems
• Digital Health

Frequently asked questions.