Social needs of dual-enrolled Medicare-Medicaid patients with medication nonadherence in a telehealth medication therapy management program

BACKGROUND: Telehealth services that identify and address the social needs of patients can improve access to health care and social services. The social needs of medication therapy management (MTM)-eligible Medicare-Medicaid dual-enrolled patients are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To describe the social needs of Medicare-Medicaid dual-enrolled patients participating in a telephonic MTM program. METHODS: This study evaluated the findings of a social needs survey implemented within a telehealth MTM program. Surveys were offered telephonically to eligible Medicare-Medicaid patients of one insurance plan who were identified with medication nonadherence between July 13, 2020, and December 31, 2020. This study described patients who completed the survey during provision of a comprehensive medication review (CMR). Questions screened for social needs in the following social determinant of health domains: community and social context, economic stability, and neighborhood and physical environment. Descriptive statistics were used to describe results. RESULTS: Among 461 patients who completed CMRs, 358 completed the social needs survey. The most prevalent needs and concerns identified included lacking support to perform daily activities (165 [47%]), lacking companionship (81 [23%]), feeling left out (71 [20%]), feeling isolated (81 [23%]), not having enough money to pay bills (177 [49%]), worrying about running out of food (77 [22%]), or having run out of food within the last 12 months (81 [23%]). In this sample, 54 (15%) patients reported avoiding a provider visit because of transportation barriers. Certain individuals were without a steady place to live or were worried about losing their home (40 [11%]) and 35 (10%) reported struggling to keep a job. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of social needs among patient populations is necessary to reduce barriers to medication adherence and optimize health care utilization. This study described important social needs identified during the provision of a telehealth CMR among MTM-eligible Medicare-Medicaid dual-enrolled patients.