ST. LOUIS, June 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Building upon
its history of industry-leading bold actions, Express Scripts
(NASDAQ: ESRX) today announced a new Advanced Opioid
ManagementSM solution that will better address our
nation's opioid-addiction epidemic by working comprehensively with
patients, prescribers and pharmacies to minimize early exposure
while helping prevent progression to overuse and abuse.
In a recent pilot study of just more than 100,000 Express
Scripts members new to opioid therapy, we observed a 38 percent
reduction in hospitalizations and 40 percent reduction in
emergency room (ER) visits in the intervention group versus control
group during six months of follow up. Half of patients
received an educational letter from the Express Scripts
Neuroscience Therapeutic Resource Center (TRC) and half no
intervention at all. A subset of patients receiving the TRC
educational letter who had high-risk patterns of opioid use also
received a counseling call from a Neuroscience TRC specialist
pharmacist. Among this subset, we observed a 19 percent
decrease in the day's supply of opioid dispensing during six-months
of follow up. Patients got the medicine they need while we
helped prevent unnecessary refills that could put patients at risk
of significant harm.
Building on the success of the pilot, Express Scripts added
novel opioid management features addressing other points on the
care continuum, from safe disposal, to tools for physicians at the
point of care and safety checks for dispensing pharmacies. This
complete solution is expected to significantly reduce unnecessary
prescribing, dispensing and use to help avoid unnecessary
hospitalization, ER and drug treatment costs, while ensuring access
to medication patients need.
"By focusing across the entire care continuum – from
over-prescribing to over-dispensing, and unsafe overutilization of
pain medications – we found we can make a significant and
meaningful difference in this national epidemic," said Glen Stettin, M.D., senior vice president
clinical, research and new solutions at Express Scripts. "Express
Scripts is uniquely positioned to engage prescribers, mobilize
payers, and protect patients to comprehensively address the issue.
Through our data analytics, specialized care model, fraud, waste
and abuse management capabilities and our application of behavioral
science, we will do more to help stop abuse before it starts."
Express Scripts' opioid solution is designed to lower risk at
each touchpoint of the care continuum – including prescribers,
pharmacies and patients – in a way that far exceeds what other PBMs
offer today.
Express Scripts announced its new solution at the 21st Annual
Express Scripts Outcomes Symposium, a two-day annual gathering of
more than 600 clients, thought leaders and industry experts.
Today's announcement builds on Express Scripts' record of
industry leadership in the fight against opioid abuse, including
its Fraud, Waste and Abuse program, and advocacy for pharmacy and
physician lock-in and prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP).
New solutions are needed more than ever, given the outsized toll
this epidemic is taking on Americans:
- Only 3 percent of opioids are prescribed by pain
specialists
- Every day, more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency
departments for misusing prescription opioids
- $53 billion in annual economic
burden costs
- 2 million Americans are addicted to prescription narcotics
Express Scripts Advanced Opioid Management solution combines
opioid management addressing physician, pharmacy and patient
touchpoints to yield a comprehensive, seamless solution, which will
be available to clients to implement this fall.
About Express Scripts
Express Scripts puts medicine
within reach of tens of millions of people by aligning with plan
sponsors, taking bold action and delivering patient-centered care
to make better health more affordable and accessible.
Headquartered in St. Louis,
Express Scripts provides integrated pharmacy benefit management
services, including network-pharmacy claims processing, home
delivery pharmacy care, specialty pharmacy care, specialty benefit
management, benefit-design consultation, drug utilization review,
formulary management, and medical and drug data analysis
services. Express Scripts also distributes a full range of
biopharmaceutical products and provides extensive cost-management
and patient-care services.
For more information, visit Lab.Express-Scripts.com or follow
@ExpressScripts on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Phil
Blando
pjblando@express-scripts.com
202-258-4978
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SOURCE Express Scripts