Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Humana 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.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
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.
DrFirst president Cameron Deemer said: "The cost of medications is a known contributor to patient medication non-adherence.
"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.