CVS Caremark e-Prescribing Tool Helps Healthcare Professionals Identify and Assess...

CVS Caremark e-Prescribing Tool Helps Healthcare Professionals Identify and Assess Impact of Medication Noncompliance

Data to be Presented in Conjunction with Horizon Blue Cross Blue
Shield of New Jersey at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Academy of
Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) in San Francisco, CA
WOONSOCKET, R.I.--(Business Wire)--
CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New
Jersey, (Horizon BCBSNJ) will be presenting data on Friday, April 18th
at the twentieth annual meeting of the Academy of Managed Care
Pharmacy (AMCP), which demonstrates how the iScribe(R) e-prescribing
tool can allow for the objective identification and assessment of
medication noncompliance to enable appropriate patient intervention.
The study, conducted in conjunction with Horizon BCBSNJ, analyzed when
and if prescriptions written for the treatment of various chronic
conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, were dispensed to
patients.

Study results found a high rate of noncompliance among all
patients taking medications to treat a variety of cardiovascular
diseases such as high blood pressure, with approximately 18% of those
prescriptions unfilled after 60 days. Patients continuing their
therapy were found to be significantly more compliant than those
starting a new therapy with a cardiovascular medication. Noncompliance
among patients continuing therapy was approximately 6%, while
noncompliance rates for patients initiating therapy with a
cardiovascular medication (i.e., primary noncompliance) were much
higher, with up to 70% of patients noncompliant after 60 days.

"While it is widely recognized that medication noncompliance
contributes to adverse drug events, poor health outcomes and increased
healthcare costs, research to date has focused on patients who
discontinue therapy and has not been able to account for primary
noncompliance, where medications prescribed to begin therapy are never
filled by the patient," said Jan E. Berger, MD, Chief Clinical
Officer, CVS Caremark Corporation. "The data, collected using iScribe
e-prescribing technology, shows us not only that there is an extremely
high rate of primary noncompliance for medications to treat
cardiovascular conditions, which places patients at increased risk for
heart attack or stroke, but also provides information that can help
shape how and when healthcare providers can most effectively intervene
with education and support."

"e-Prescribing tools like iScribe can ultimately provide
physicians with concrete information about whether or not a patient
actually initiates a new therapy," said Richard G. Popiel, MD, MBA,
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Horizon BCBSNJ. "This type
of information can help physicians, nurses and pharmacists understand
the optimal timing and delivery for interventions and educational
outreach to ensure patients take the medications that can help keep
them healthy."

Data was collected between January 1, 2005 and October 31, 2006
from a subset of 507 Horizon BCBSNJ providers who use iScribe
e-prescribing technology. Researchers conducted a retrospective
analysis comparing prescriptions for medications to treat chronic
diseases (i.e., asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes) as well
as prescriptions for antibiotics written via iScribe during this time
period to submitted drug claims for medications dispensed between
January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006.

"CVS Caremark is focused on improving patient outcomes, including
compliance and adherence to medications, especially for chronic
diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, diabetes and asthma," said
Dr. Berger. "The data we can obtain through e-prescribing enables us
to work in conjunction with a patient's physician to address
medication noncompliance earlier and encourage patients to take their
medications as needed either via phone call, mail or face-to-face
counseling at the pharmacy counter."

A poster presentation on this study will take place during the
twentieth Annual AMCP meeting on Friday, April 18th from 12:00 - 2:00
pm in West Hall, Level I at the Moscone West Convention Center in San
Francisco, CA.

About iScribe e-Prescribing

iScribe is an intuitive, easy-to-use e-Prescribing product that
prescribers report they can begin using within 15 to 30 minutes of
picking up their PDA. With iScribe, prescribers can send prescriptions
securely and directly to the patient's pharmacy of choice from either
a handheld PDA or desktop computer. iScribe provides the prescriber
with generic and formulary coverage information, assisting the
physician in selecting the most cost-effective medication for their
patients. Physicians can use the electronic prescribing tools to write
prescriptions for all of their patients, regardless of the patient's
prescription benefit coverage. Physicians can check for potentially
harmful drug interactions at the point of prescribing, or follow-up
with patients when iScribe alerts them to unfilled prescriptions. The
convenience of a mobile device ensures patient prescriber history is
with them at all times - either in the office or when the prescriber
is on-call. iScribe electronic prescribing helps to reduce phone calls
and faxes between the practice and the pharmacy, improve patient
safety and drive better medication compliance.

About CVS Caremark

CVS Caremark is the largest provider of prescriptions and
related health care services in the nation. The Company fills or
manages more than 1 billion prescriptions annually. Through its
unmatched breadth of service offerings, CVS Caremark is transforming
the delivery of health care services in the U.S. The Company is
uniquely positioned to effectively manage costs and improve health
care outcomes through its 6,300 CVS/pharmacy stores; its pharmacy
benefit management, mail order and specialty pharmacy division,
Caremark Pharmacy Services; its retail-based health clinic subsidiary,
MinuteClinic; and its online pharmacy, CVS.com. General information
about CVS Caremark is available through the Investor Relations portion
of the Company's website, at http://investor.cvs.com, as well as
through the pressroom portion of the Company's website, at
www.cvs.com/pressroom.

About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is the oldest and
largest health insurer in the state serving over 3.5 million members.
Horizon BCBSNJ is New Jersey's only not-for-profit, health service
corporation and is headquartered in Newark with offices in Wall, Mt.
Laurel, and West Trenton.

Horizon BCBSNJ provides a broad array of health and dental
insurance products and services for individuals and small and large
companies, including national companies headquartered in New Jersey.
Horizon BCBSNJ is committed to improving the health care experience
for all the communities we serve as well as helping our members become
and stay healthy.

Horizon BCBSNJ's Web site is located at www.HorizonBlue.com.
Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue
Shield Association.

Weber Shandwick
Lee-Anne Murphy, 617-755-8684
lee-annmurphy@webershandwick.com
or
CVS Caremark
Christine Cramer, 401-770-3317
ckcramer@cvs.com
or
Horizon BCBSNJ
Daniel Emmer, 973-466-4805
Daniel_Emmer@horizonblue.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008