LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The era of getting a prescription from your doctor, only to learn later that the medication is not covered, is coming to an end. Health and wellness company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) has announced a real-time prescription drug benefit service that gives doctors information about their Humana patients’ drug coverage, pricing and network pharmacy options all while the patient is in the exam room.
Delivered to physicians through DrFirst’s myBenefitCheckSM, the IntelligentRx service provides doctors with patient-specific prescription price information at the time the prescription is being written. The service is expected to reduce the impact of cost on medication access and adherence by helping doctors and patients consider medication cost as part of their drug therapy regimen.
Humana Pharmacy president William Fleming says helping doctors make more informed prescribing decisions is key to medication access and adherence, and therefore critical to improving clinical outcomes.
“This is a big step forward in closing the gaps in the health care system, using transparency and technology to create a better health care experience,” explained Fleming. “Real-time information provided by the IntelligentRx service is a perfect example of how we can help doctors proactively deliver better care, more affordably, to their patients.”
DrFirst’s medication management technology is integrated with the electronic medical records used by many doctors during patient visits. When the doctor chooses a medication to prescribe, he or she is presented with information from Humana through DrFirst’s e-prescribing interface, including drug coverage and cost, potential alternative therapies and nearby retail pharmacies and mail order pharmacies in the patient’s network. Drug and allergy alerts are also presented during e-prescribing, helping reduce potential adverse drug events.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, people not taking medications as prescribed results in 125,000 deaths every year and an additional $2,000 per person per year in additional health care costs. In one stark example, the CDC estimates that heart attack survivors that do not take their prescribed medications are at 80 percent higher risk for a repeat attack.
“The cost of medications is a known contributor to patient medication non-adherence,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “With myBenefitCheck, it’s as if the doctor is going along with the patient to the pharmacy, helping to select the best medication and pharmacy for patients based on their prescription drug coverage. This technology helps doctors choose the best course of action to support medication adherence and patient outcomes."
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people we serve across the country.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders;
- Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
- Most recent investor conference presentations;
- Quarterly earnings news releases;
- Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls;
- Calendar of events (including upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors); and
- Corporate Governance information.
About DrFirst
DrFirst (www.drfirst.com) pioneers technology solutions that inform the doctor-patient point of encounter, optimizing provider access to patient information, enhancing the doctor’s clinical view of the patient, and improving care delivery and clinical outcomes. Our growth is driven by a commitment to innovation, security and reliability across a wide array of services, including Medication Management and Secure Communications. We are proud of our track record of service to over 330 EMR/EHR/HIS partners and an extensive network of providers, pharmacies, hospitals and post-acute care facilities.
