Polypharmacy is the use of multiple (five or more)  medications. Multiple medication usage can cause drug side effects, adverse events and dangerous health outcomes. A recent report from the Health and Human Service (HHS) Office of the Inspector General found that about one in seven  hospitalized Medicare patients experienced an adverse event due to polypharmacy. Of the adverse events identified, 31 percent were medication related.

Poor adherence, or inconsistency of a patient to take medications as prescribed, is also associated with poor outcomes.  It is responsible for an estimated 125,000 death per year, 10 percent of all hospitalizations, 23 percent of nursing home admissions, and $100 billion in direct and indirect medical costs.You and your pharmacist are partners in managing your medications! Studies have found that people who regularly meet with their pharmacist to manage their medications have: 
                                                 
                                           1. Fewer hospitalizations  

                                           2. Fewer trips to the emergency room 
                                                                         
                                           3. Better control of your health