WOONSOCKET, R.I., Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 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
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SOURCE CVS Health