MEMOTEXT Presents at the Pittsburgh Science of Medication Adherence:

Director of Scientific Development Bill Simpson unveils our new BAM adherence metric

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Bill Simpson   2 weeks ago MEMOTEXT had the privilege of presenting our new Balanced Adherence Metric (BAM) at the inaugural Science of Medication Adherence Conference (SMA2015), hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing.   Represented by our Director of Scientific Development Bill Simpson, MEMOTEXT had the opportunity to join the conversation on the latest scientific advancements in the field of medication adherence. The conference was attended by a diverse group of healthcare stakeholders representing, academia, pharma, digital health, providers, governments, and non-profits.   MEMOTEXT had the honour being the sole start-up in attendance and was very excited present our new BAM adherence metric to such a distinguished group. The BAM metric is a novel solution to the problem of measuring medication adherence. Academics and industry professionals commonly use one of four pharmacy claims data adherence measures: Proportion of Days Covered (PDC), Compliance Rate (CR) (also known as adjusted MPR), Delay to Refill and Medication Persistence. Each metric has distinct advantages and disadvantages, but neither provides a complete picture of medication adherence. The BAM solves the problem by combining the four measures into a single weighted metric. Our preliminary validation has thus far shown the BAM may be more accurate and provide a more holistic approach to measuring a complex outcome. The BAM also has the advantages of being easy to calculate and interpret, making it simple for academics and other professionals to understand.   As a whole SMA2015 was an enlightening conference. Highlights included a welcome by U Pitt’s Walid Gellad, MD, MPH and John F. Steiner, MD, MPH of Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s presentation on measuring adherence for population and delivery system interventions. There were also many other engaging abstracts that were presented from all perspectives of the healthcare system. Bernard Vrijens, PhD of MWV Healthcare presented on how medication adherence can be measured and managed, while University of Arizona’s Wei-Hsuan Lo-Ciganic, PhD, MS, MSPharm presented on how machine learning can assess adherence and risk of hospitalization. The conference ended with an engaging closing panel discussion by Ira B. Wilson of Brown University, Hayden Bosworth, PhD of Duke University, and Sabina M. De Geest, PhD, RN of KU Leuven & University of Basel.   With advancing technology and medical research as part of MEMOTEXT’s mission we were delighted to attend SMA2015 and unveil the BAM. It was also inspiring seeing the latest advancements in the field of medication adherence in all sectors of the healthcare ecosystem. We look forward to returning next year!   BILL SIMPSON B.SC., Ph.D Candidate DIR. SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT Bill has an extensive background in psychology, mental health and clinical data analytics. He graduated with a B.Sc in Psychology from McMaster University in 2007 and is currently in the final stages of completing his Ph.D in Neuroscience.   He has managed data collection and analysis for industry sponsored clinical trials and large international cohort studies. He has 12 scientific publications covering topics ranging from the psychometric properties of rating scales to the pharmacological treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder.   At MEMOTEXT, Bill develops new data analytic strategies and is responsible for integrating new scientific advances into the MEMOTEXT system.