"For every $1 we spent on the (pharmacist) intervention group, the healthcare system gained $14 in savings by decreasing emergency room visits and hospitalization," said Michael Murray, lead investigator of the study performed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy.

"The key to the success of our intervention was taking time with patients to create a regular schedule for taking their medicines that fit their lifestyle," said James Young, the pharmacist involved in the study. "We made sure patients understood how their medications worked and why taking them consistently was so important."

The study involved 314 low-income patients with heart failure. Half of them received typical services from a pharmacist, the other half received care from a specially trained pharmacist who had access to customized educational materials, provided comprehensive instructions to participants, and reminded them to refill their prescriptions.

The study appears in the May 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.