Vivacare Patient Education Service Includes Medication Rebates and Brochures to Improve Medication Adherence

Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) June 23, 2009 -- Physician and patient surveys completed by Vivacare (http://www.vivacare.com) Inc. show that medication rebate coupons and brochures delivered via physician Websites support the needs of physicians and patients and may improve medication adherence.

Vivacare provides medical practices with the From Your Doctor (http://www.fromyourdoctor.com) patient education service. Enrolled practices receive a variety of practice-branded, Web-based patient education tools, including a Patient Education Library and Patient eNewsletter function. The Patient Education Library is used by physicians to reinforce key principles regarding the diagnoses they make and treatments they recommend.

From January to March 2009, 255 online visitors to a dermatologist's Website completed an acne survey. Of these, 46% (152) reported actively taking an acne medication, and 58% of those (88) reported taking a medication that required a prescription.

When asked what would help them to get their acne medicine from the pharmacy and take it as prescribed, 69% reported that access to medication rebate coupons would be helpful. 41% suggested that learning tips on reducing side effects would be helpful.

In a separate survey of 21 physicians, 86% reported that medication rebate coupons would be a useful addition to their practice Website, and 76% reported that they would benefit from making branded medication brochures available online for their patients.

In response to the needs of physicians and patients, Vivacare has made medication rebate coupons available as part of its online service to medical practices. Patients going to their doctor's Website to learn about their medication can also access rebate coupons there if made available online from the manufacturer.

For instance, Dr. Hilary Baldwin, a dermatologist in New York and Past President of the American Acne and Rosacea Society (AARS) has made rebate coupons (http://www.dermatology.fromyourdoctor.com/new_york/brooklyn/hilarybaldwin/health/refills.do) available for a variety of dermatological medications.

In addition, Vivacare has populated the Patient Education Library with medication handouts that offer patients with details about the drugs they have been prescribed, including possible side effects. For instance, Dr. Eliot Mostow, a dermatologist in Akron, Ohio, includes the Acne Medicine Tips (http://www.dermatology.fromyourdoctor.com/ohio/akron/akronderm/health/topic.do?title=Acne+Medicine+Tips&t=9296) handout on his Patient Education Library to help his acne patients understand how to apply acne medicines and manage the irritation that often results from the use of acne medicines.

"Vivacare helps deliver practical health information and tools to patients from the source they trust most, their own doctor," says Mark Becker, M.D., founder of Vivacare. "This helps patients better understand their diagnosis and recommended treatment plan."

About Vivacare

Vivacare Inc. is a patient education company based in Berkeley, California that provides physicians and other health professionals with a Web-based patient education service to improve clinical care and patient satisfaction. Vivacare is used by over 2,000 dermatologists (http://www.findadermatologist.com) and has recently expanded its services to support the needs of 12 medical specialties, including primary care.

###