Session 3: Discussant

Jan Berger, MD, MJ, The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits editor-in-chief, follows Rebecca Killon’s remarks with her own insight on the importance of diabetes medication adherence.

“I've waited 13 years for adherence to be an important issue. In 2003, when I first got somebody's attention, they looked at me like I was crazy,” said Dr Berger. “It was just a matter of [what] doctors would say to us when we would share with them that their patient was nonadherent. ‘It's not my problem,’ ‘ It's not my fault,’ ‘ It's the patient, we told them what to do.‘“

Dr Berger argues that the only way to truly have a breakthrough, is in the power of physician-patient relationships and alignment. Through better communication, continual learning, and realistic expectations, we can improve adherence rates.