WOONSOCKET, RI – October 12, 2017 – CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) is celebrating its 30,000 pharmacists as part of American Pharmacists Month, an annual observation held every October. The company’s pharmacy teams are playing an increasingly important role in helping people on their path to better health by improving access to care and lowering costs for the millions of patients they serve every day.
“As our nation’s health care landscape changes, our pharmacists are being called upon to play a broader role in a patient’s overall health care team,” said Larry J. Merlo, President and Chief Executive Officer, CVS Health. “Pharmacists not only provide one-on-one trusted counsel to patients each and every day, they are also delivering vital health care services, such as providing immunizations, and offering medication reviews to ensure patients are getting the most out of their entire medication regimen.”
As medication experts, CVS Health pharmacists are helping identify potential barriers to medication adherence and offering solutions to help encourage patients to stay adherent. They also work in a variety of settings beyond the counter at CVS Pharmacy.
“Our pharmacists are not only the familiar faces you see behind the counter at your local CVS Pharmacy,” added Merlo. “Whether through Omnicare, CVS Caremark, CVS Specialty or Coram, our pharmacists are providing expert clinical care to patients with a wide range of medication regimens, from simple to complex.”
CVS Pharmacy recently rolled out a new prescription management system, called ScriptPath, which will help its pharmacy team provide even more guidance to patients through an innovative and first-of-its-kind Prescription Schedule. The Prescription Schedule enables the pharmacist to recommend a consolidated dosing schedule – narrowed down to four dosing times a day – which will do even more to improve patient understanding and medication adherence which can lead to better health outcomes.
In addition, pharmacists are providing convenient and accessible access to flu shots and other vaccinations at every CVS Pharmacy location nationwide seven days a week with no appointment needed, including evenings and weekends. In some states, such as California and Oregon, pharmacists are able to prescribe hormonal contraceptives, giving patients greater access to care at times and locations that are convenient for them.
CVS pharmacists also provide telephonic medication adherence and clinical support to CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management (PBM) members and CVS Specialty patients. They review and check all medications that are submitted for mail delivery and also provide counseling and support to members through programs such as Pharmacy Advisor, which help improve medication adherence and outcomes for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
CVS pharmacists are also working to reduce prescription drug abuse through the company’s Pharmacists Teach program. This community outreach program connects pharmacists with high school students to share vital information about the dangers of improper drug use. Thousands of CVS pharmacists have volunteered their time to deliver this program to more than 295,000 students across the country, at no cost to the school, and the company has begun expanding the program to a parent audience.
CVS Health will celebrate National Pharmacy Technician Day on October 17 to recognize the company’s more than 50,000 pharmacy technicians for the valued support they provide to CVS pharmacists and pharmacy teams across the organization.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its 9,700 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 90 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Lanctot
(401) 770-2931
Amy.Lanctot@CVSHealth.com