[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":1101,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"To help fight the rising tide of specialty drug costs, CVS Specialty has been elevating its digital tool capability for drug management and integrating it with its care coordination programs.

A glimpse of the specialty drug cost burden is evident in recent reports. Ten countries, including the U.S. and European countries, will spend an estimated $318 billion on specialty medication in 2018, representing 41 percent of their overall drug spend, says a new report entitled, \u201c2018 and Beyond: Outlook and Turning Points,\u201d by IQVIA Institute.

Express Scripts\u2019 latest Drug Trend Report says specialty medication spending increased 9.4 percent in 2018, with specialty medications now accounting for 44.7 percent of the total drug spend\u2014an increase of 3.9 percent from 2017.

\u201cComplex conditions and fragmented care are the major drivers of the cost problem, which is why CVS is taking an integrated specialty pharmacy approach\u2014one that merges people, digital technology and data management,\u201d according to Prem Shah, executive vice president of specialty pharmacy at CVS.

With specialty drug costs representing so much of overall drug spend\u2014often under the medical benefit offered by payers\u2014CVS Specialty is integrating utilization management strategies that drive the most appropriate therapies while preventing adverse events and drug waste, Shah says.

CVS's secure messaging\u2014where specialty care teams offer clinical and drug adherence support via two-way text messaging to keep patients on track\u2014is ultimately reducing costs for payers, Shah says. CVS Specialty has been using the secure messaging for a number of years, but continues to develop the process and is accelerating how much they use it.

\u201cWe are using clinical secure messaging to get patients to have their providers at their fingertips,\u201d he says. CVS Specialty is also using clinical trial data and information on a drug\u2019s label to discern key challenges patients might have while taking the medication, and to then use messages to help the patient through a difficult time in maintaining adherence.

For example, if there is a rash expected to appear on the fifth day of taking the medication, CVS alerts patients via a real-time message on that day, to inform them, remind them and to also provide a link to enable patients to ask questions. Adherence has improved as a result, Shah says.

Currently, CVS is seeing greater adherence to medication for chronic myeloid leukemia through the use of secure text messaging, he says.

\u201cI do think it\u2019s a very interesting time in specialty pharmacy,\u201d Shah says. \u201cA lot of things are going on with technology, as specialty pharmacies serve some of the sickest patients in the country, with highly complex autoimmune diseases and cancer.\u201d

In the past, care was managed through phone, paper, faxes and mail order, but now the healthcare industry is \u201claying down pipes\u201d for a digital delivery, Shah says. \u201cCVS Specialty is using text messaging to bring specialty pharmacy to the 21st century.\u201d The company uses the messaging to connect patients with providers and is building a more modern consumer experience, which he says is \u201cextremely important.\u201d

Also in its technology arsenal to contain costs, is a new wearable app to help monitor on a daily basis how well MS patients walk, a key indicator of their health status. Though CVS is unable to reveal more on this project to date, it is reported by Shah to be an exciting development on the horizon.

\u201cWe continue to try to manage these [specialty] patients differently\u2014and in different ways,\u201d Shah says. \u201cWe should be talking to patients when they call us and solving their needs.\u201d Patients expect solutions at their fingertips, much like ordering an Uber ride. However, \u201cUber is about getting from point A to point B. Imagine if you just got diagnosed with cancer?\u201d he says. Patients need a transparent journey for tracking their drugs. They need to be concerned about their healing process, not where their drug is. \u201cThat is ultimately our responsibility as market leaders.\u201d","saveContent":"To help fight the rising tide of specialty drug costs, CVS Specialty has been elevating its digital tool capability for drug management and integrating it with its care coordination programs.

A glimpse of the specialty drug cost burden is evident in recent reports. Ten countries, including the U.S. and European countries, will spend an estimated $318 billion on specialty medication in 2018, representing 41 percent of their overall drug spend, says a new report entitled, \u201c2018 and Beyond: Outlook and Turning Points,\u201d by IQVIA Institute.

Express Scripts\u2019 latest Drug Trend Report says specialty medication spending increased 9.4 percent in 2018, with specialty medications now accounting for 44.7 percent of the total drug spend\u2014an increase of 3.9 percent from 2017.

\u201cComplex conditions and fragmented care are the major drivers of the cost problem, which is why CVS is taking an integrated specialty pharmacy approach\u2014one that merges people, digital technology and data management,\u201d according to Prem Shah, executive vice president of specialty pharmacy at CVS.

With specialty drug costs representing so much of overall drug spend\u2014often under the medical benefit offered by payers\u2014CVS Specialty is integrating utilization management strategies that drive the most appropriate therapies while preventing adverse events and drug waste, Shah says.

CVS's secure messaging\u2014where specialty care teams offer clinical and drug adherence support via two-way text messaging to keep patients on track\u2014is ultimately reducing costs for payers, Shah says. CVS Specialty has been using the secure messaging for a number of years, but continues to develop the process and is accelerating how much they use it.

\u201cWe are using clinical secure messaging to get patients to have their providers at their fingertips,\u201d he says. CVS Specialty is also using clinical trial data and information on a drug\u2019s label to discern key challenges patients might have while taking the medication, and to then use messages to help the patient through a difficult time in maintaining adherence.

For example, if there is a rash expected to appear on the fifth day of taking the medication, CVS alerts patients via a real-time message on that day, to inform them, remind them and to also provide a link to enable patients to ask questions. Adherence has improved as a result, Shah says.

Currently, CVS is seeing greater adherence to medication for chronic myeloid leukemia through the use of secure text messaging, he says.

\u201cI do think it\u2019s a very interesting time in specialty pharmacy,\u201d Shah says. \u201cA lot of things are going on with technology, as specialty pharmacies serve some of the sickest patients in the country, with highly complex autoimmune diseases and cancer.\u201d

In the past, care was managed through phone, paper, faxes and mail order, but now the healthcare industry is \u201claying down pipes\u201d for a digital delivery, Shah says. \u201cCVS Specialty is using text messaging to bring specialty pharmacy to the 21st century.\u201d The company uses the messaging to connect patients with providers and is building a more modern consumer experience, which he says is \u201cextremely important.\u201d

Also in its technology arsenal to contain costs, is a new wearable app to help monitor on a daily basis how well MS patients walk, a key indicator of their health status. Though CVS is unable to reveal more on this project to date, it is reported by Shah to be an exciting development on the horizon.

\u201cWe continue to try to manage these [specialty] patients differently\u2014and in different ways,\u201d Shah says. \u201cWe should be talking to patients when they call us and solving their needs.\u201d Patients expect solutions at their fingertips, much like ordering an Uber ride. However, \u201cUber is about getting from point A to point B. Imagine if you just got diagnosed with cancer?\u201d he says. Patients need a transparent journey for tracking their drugs. They need to be concerned about their healing process, not where their drug is. \u201cThat is ultimately our responsibility as market leaders.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

CVS uses text messaging to save health plans money

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