Intelecare's Alex Sicre
When Intelecare decided to enter the social media space with its first blog entry in 2007, I was less than bullish on the idea. I suppose it was just a fear of the unknown – a suspicion of the efficacy or usefulness of something I just didn’t understand. But nearly 3 years later, Intelecare boasts a presence on Facebook and Twitter, is a biscuit away from launching various consumer-centric videos and a weekly Podcast (also available on YouTube) and, today, a resuscitated blog in honor of the man who started it all – Alex Sicre.
Alex was a thoughtful, poignant writer. He loved research and, indeed, spreading the good word about all things he believed in. His commitment to the idea that educating patients and caregivers through organic, grassroots approaches would result in better, more viable outcomes, was spot-on. In the time since Alex’s passing in November 2008, he has left us a legacy of kindness and thought-provoking work as we continue the battle to increase medication adherence.
In the past year, Intelecare has broadened its member base and increased its work with managed care organizations, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies. Launched a completely overhauled user experience and continued to increase the number of patients using the Intelecare system – all during this volatile economic climate. In that same time frame we lost touch with that grassroots philosophy that Alex championed to educate a community about the negative effects of non-adherence. That ends today.
Alex’s work at Intelecare immersed him in the issues of non-compliance, but even he struggled with adherence to his medication regimen. If medication adherence was difficult for someone like Alex, imagine how trying it can be for patients and caregivers whose busy lives pull them in multiple directions without a direct understanding of the ramifications of non-adherence? Make no mistake about it, non-adherence is America’s biggest drug problem.
I am reminded of the statistics everyday:
- 1 out of every 2 people are non-compliant
- $300 billion in costs to the healthcare system with far reaching health and socio-economic implications
- $47 billion in hospitalization costs directly attributed to non-adherence
The statistics are daunting, but we can change them. We can increase adherence and persistency. At Intelecare, we believe our communications hub permits results based on a preference-based reminder. Our approach to communications is paradigm-shifting that includes reminders but provides education, rewards and, ultimately, home delivery of medications with a click of a button.
Please join the entire Intelecare family in making this goal of increasing medication adherence a reality today.
