(307) Medication Compliance After Implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act

Introduction: In December 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act was passed in the United States, mandating free and readily available patient access to their own electronic medical records. This study aims to determine the impact of access to physician notes on patient adherence to treatment regimens for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Methods: All patients with a CRS diagnosis between November 2020 and June 2022 were eligible for study participation. Patients were divided into two cohorts, those with and without an activated patient portal to their electronic medical record (EMR). Patients without an active patient portal were recruited during clinic visits and patients with an active portal were contacted via the EMR. Both cohorts were then sent a Qualtrics survey assessing demographics and medication adherence. Medication adherence was assessed by using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS). Statistical analyses were performed with SAS software (SAS Institute Inc, Version 9 2020).

Results: There were 203 total respondents who had activated their portal and 30 who had not. Patients who read their medical notes were more likely to continue taking their medication even after feeling better (p= 0.006). The remaining six items on the MMAS were not significantly different between the two groups.

Conclusions: Patients with access to their medical notes are more likely to continue taking medications for CRS even after they feel better. However, there is not a significant difference in other aspects of medication adherence between those who view their notes and those who do not.