(ARA) - Millions of Americans are plagued by chronic diseases
such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis. These are
among the most common, costly, and preventable of all existing
health problems in the United States, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. But there's another, lesser-
known condition that's taking a huge toll on Americans' health:
non-adherence, a problem caused when patients don't follow their
doctors' orders. While it may be hard to believe, the simple act
of forgetting to take a pill or not filling a prescription at
the pharmacy costs the U.S. as much as $317 billion each year on
unnecessary medical expenses. Beyond the financial cost is the
health impact: Non-adherence can lead to additional
complications, which in turn lead to more medical tests,
emergency room visits and hospitalizations - all avoidable by
simply taking medications as prescribed. A new Express Scripts
survey found that more than 90 percent of the 40,000 adults
polled agree that taking thei