CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Jul. 23, 2019 — UNC Health Care, an integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina, has teamed up with ParcelShield, the industry leader in technology-driven critical package protection, to ensure that patients with chronic conditions receive their critical specialty medication deliveries safely and on-time. UNC Health Care is the latest hospital network to leverage the value of ParcelShield’s service for improving patient outcomes.
According to research published in JAMA, as many as 50 percent of patients with chronic conditions aren’t adherent to their medication regimens. U.S. estimates show that this low medication adherence rate contributes to roughly 10 percent of hospitalizations, 125,000 deaths, and $100 billion in annual healthcare services.
One of the critical components of medication adherence is a patient’s ability to receive their medications in a timely manner. In some cases, these medications must be cold-pack shipped and require refrigeration, which leaves a 48-hour window for safe delivery. However, without ParcelShield’s specialized protection, these packages are often more susceptible to delays by obstacles like inclement weather, route impediments, and carrier error.
With the help of ParcelShield’s artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive technology services, UNC Health Care will be able to proactively identify potential delays in shipments and take action to avoid them. ParcelShield also will increase direct communication with patients to better coordinate deliveries and reduce the need for reshipments.
“Our partnership with ParcelShield will help us to further improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, which is something we’re always striving to achieve,” said Tim Weber, UNC Health Care System Executive Director, Pharmacy. “We’re excited to be working together to create a better experience for patients — especially for those with chronic conditions, who are often the most vulnerable.”
“We believe that safe and on-time deliveries are among the biggest issues impacting patients who rely on their at-home treatment regimens,” said Guillermo Sollberger, President of ParcelShield. “ParcelShield is a natural fit for an integrated health care system such as UNC that focuses on coordinating a seamless patient care experience — from the provider’s office to the patient’s home. By focusing on preventing delays and proactively addressing any delivery and handling issues, we can help UNC Health Care improve lives, outcomes, and the specialty pharmacy industry as a whole.”
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