Late in my career as a practicing physician I came across a statistic that blew me away and changed the way I think about patient care: somewhere around 20% of prescriptions never get filled. It took me a minute to let that sink in. As a doctor, I was comfortable with my routine: I consulted with my patients, determined with them the best course of care and then used "the power of the pen" to write prescriptions to address what was ailing them.

Yet, time after time, studies have shown a large percentage of those scripts just never get picked up. "What determines that?" I wondered. I started thinking more and more about what might be causing this level of noncompliance: a lack of trust in the physician who wrote the script? Issues related to lifestyle or access to services? Cost? Or was some of this noncompliance symptomatic of broader mental health issues present in the population served?