ORLANDO – Woonsocket-based CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) took top honors in the URAC Best Practices Awards, for its pharmacy-based drug-therapy management program.
“Our Best Practices awards program is a unique celebration of the best the health care industry has to offer,” Alan P. Spielman, URAC’s president and CEO, said in a statement today. “These companies have made a difference in the lives of consumers by implementing leading-edge programs with results that matter,” he added. “At a time when health care reform is in the spotlight, achievements from companies like CVS Caremark are even more important.”
Two Platinum awards – plus Gold, Silver, Bronze and honorable mention awards in six categories: Health Plans and Health Networks; Health Management, Health Information/Decision Support, Pharmacy Quality Management, Consumer Decision-Making and Consumer Health Improvement – were presented during a black-tie dinner at the health-care accreditation and quality improvement group’s Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment & Protection Conference, held April 1 and 2 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando.
The winners were drawn from a pool of 70 applications, which were judged by a panel of 27 experts in care coordination, employer and purchaser decision-making, health information technology, patient safety and program evaluation, UNAC said.
CVS Caremark took Platinum honors for Consumer Health Improvement with a program that aimed to improve drug-therapy outcomes by giving patients access to one-on-one counseling with specially trained clinical pharmacists. Patients receiving prescriptions from a number of health care providers are encouraged to enroll.
The program “provides those patients with complex pharmacy needs with access to personalized support from a clinical pharmacist, who ensures coordinated communication and care between the patient and their health care providers,” Howard McLure, president of CVS Caremark Pharmacy Services, said in a statement today. He described it as “another concrete example” of the company’s proactive approach to providing customers “with the information they need to make educated choices.”
Other winners included UnitedHealthcare of New England parent UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), whose subsidiaries received two UNAC awards.
The company’s pharmacy-benefits management (PBM) division, Prescription Solutions, received a Silver medal for its real-time Drug Interaction Alert Program (DIAP), which saves an estimated $13,000 for each adverse reaction it averts. “This first-of-its-kind intervention specifically targets dangerous drug interactions caused by the issuance of prescriptions for a patient by at least two different physicians,” said Dr. Joseph Addiego, the chief medical officer at Prescription Solutions.
UnitedHealth’s OptumHealth Inc. received the Bronze Award in Health Management for its Treatment Decision Support. The program aims to help customers make better decisions about their health care costs and quality by providing information on their conditions, treatment alternatives and providers who have demonstrated best practices. “When consumers are better informed and take an active role in managing their health and wellness, individuals, organizations and the total population benefit,” said OptumHealth’s chief medical officer, Dr. Gail Croall.
URAC, based in Washington, D.C., is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting improvement in the quality and efficiency of health care delivery by establishing standards and improving communication and education. One or more of its accreditation programs currently are recognized by 37 states and the District of Columbia. To learn more, visit www.urac.org.
CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) – the nation’s largest provider of prescription medications – operates the CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drug Stores; the CVS.com online pharmacy; Caremark Pharmacy Services; and the MinuteClinic retail-based health care subsidiary. Additional information is available at investor.cvs.com.
UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health and wellness company serving about 70 million people nationwide through its six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, Uniprise, Specialized Care Services and Ingenix Additional information is available at www.unitedhealthgroup.com.
