COVID-19 and Prescription Utilization

The stay-at-home orders and economic uncertainty brought about by COVID-19 has impacted medication adherence and how patients manage their health. A key question is how have disruptions in acute and chronic illness management affect population health in the long term? To answer this question, Optum analyzed weekly prescription data sourced from a commercially insured population of more than 13 million while taking into account the U.S. government’s issuance of the pandemic national emergency declaration on March 13, 2020. Download the full study here.