CVS Caremark to Present Insights on Redefining the Consumer Health Care Experience...

CVS Caremark to Present Insights on Redefining the Consumer Health Care
Experience at AHIP Institute 2008
Panel discussion focuses on benefits of Proactive Pharmacy Care model for
health plans

WOONSOCKET, R.I., June 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CVS Caremark
(NYSE: CVS) will host a panel discussion at America's Health Insurance Plans
(AHIP) Institute 2008 to be held June 18-20, 2008 in San Francisco. The
session, "Improving the Value of Health Care by Redefining the Consumer
Experience" will discuss ways in which health plans can take a proactive
approach to consumer health in order to consistently deliver the lowest
overall cost and drive positive health outcomes for their customers.
As an integrated health care provider with more points of contact with
customers than any other pharmacy company, CVS Caremark is uniquely positioned
to engage consumers at more than 6,300 CVS/pharmacy stores and 500
MinuteClinic locations as well as through mail, telephone and on-line. In
order to most effectively leverage these multiple touch points to drive
positive health outcomes and reduce overall costs, CVS Caremark has created
the Proactive Pharmacy Care model.
"We are redefining the pharmacy continuum of care," said Mitch Betses,
vice president, health services, CVS Caremark Corporation. "As a combined
retail pharmacy and PBM, we can serve as a true pharmacy home to complement
and support the medical home. Proactive Pharmacy Care enables us to inform
and engage consumers in ways that are personalized, convenient and accessible
so that we can positively impact health outcomes."
CVS Caremark research shows that as many as 30% of people who fill a 'new
to therapy' maintenance prescription will decide to discontinue taking that
medication before their first refill is due. Additionally, over half of
patients taking a maintenance medication will stop taking their prescription
within their first year of treatment. The first phase of the Proactive
Pharmacy Care model, recently implemented in all 6,300 CVS/pharmacy locations,
has a number of elements aimed at improving patient engagement in how they
manage their prescription therapies, including:
-- First Fill Counseling -- Targeted counseling for new-to-therapy
patients to encourage known reasons for medication non-adherence
-- Adherence Outreach -- Outreach calls from the pharmacy to encourage
patients who have stopped their drug therapy to restart therapy
-- IVR Refill -- Automated call reminders to patients to refill upcoming
prescriptions
CVS Caremark is also addressing the issue of rising costs through the
Proactive Pharmacy Care model and is piloting a variety of new cost savings
initiatives. Two examples to be reviewed during the panel discussion include:
-- Maintenance Choice -- Plan sponsors and their beneficiaries may be able
to enjoy cost savings usually available only at mail order, with customers on
maintenance medications having the option of paying lower mail rates/copays
for their 90-day medication supply at any one of the 6,300 CVS/pharmacy
locations
-- ExtraCare Health -- CVS Caremark members will receive a special
ExtraCare Health card offering an additional 20% discount on FSA-eligible CVS
branded items and the opportunity to earn special offers and discounts
tailored to their health care needs
Details on these programs as well as an overview on how health plans can
work with CVS Caremark to measure and track the impact on outcomes and cost
will be discussed as part of the AHIP Institute panel discussion taking place
on Thursday, June 19th, 2008 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 3005 at
Moscone Center West in San Francisco, CA. Panel participants include:
-- Bari Harlam, Vice President, Marketing, CVS Caremark Corporation
-- Asif Ally, R.Ph, Vice President, Market Strategy, CVS Caremark
Corporation
-- Julie Slezak, Vice President, Analytics & Outcomes, CVS Caremark
Corporation
-- Mitch Betses, R.Ph, Vice President, Health Services, CVS Caremark
Corporation
About CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark is the largest provider of prescriptions 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 http://www.cvs.com/pressroom.
Media Contact:
Christine Cramer Carolyn Castel
CVS Caremark CVS Caremark
(401) 770-3317 (401) 770-5717
ckcramer@cvs.com ccastel@cvs.com

SOURCE CVS Caremark

Christine Cramer, +1-401-770-3317, ckcramer@cvs.com, or Carolyn Castel,
+1-401-770-5717, ccastel@cvs.com, both of CVS Caremark