WOONSOCKET, R.I., June 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health
(NYSE: CVS) President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Merlo and Chief Medical Officer Troyen A.
Brennan, M.D., will deliver remarks about the major public health
challenges facing our country at this week's annual America's
Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Institute and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. CVS Health's executives
will discuss how innovation can create new models of patient care
and delivery to address rising rates of chronic diseases while
lowering health care costs for both payers and patients.
"Between now and 2030, the cumulative cost of chronic illness is
projected to grow to $42 trillion
and, despite all efforts to encourage Americans to live healthier
lifestyles, we don't seem to be gaining ground," Merlo says. "I
believe the way to find solutions is to look at the problems
through the eyes of your customers, and at CVS Health, we are
working to do just that by collaborating with stakeholders across
the health care continuum – including patients, caregivers,
providers and payers – to provide better, more cost-effective
care."
In his keynote address during the AHIP General Session on
Thursday, Merlo will outline innovative patient care delivery
strategies that increase health care choice, quality and access
with the goal of delivering better health outcomes. Examples
include the expanding role of retail health clinics, such as CVS
MinuteClinic, in providing high-quality care in convenient,
low-cost settings and the rapid rise in on-demand digital tools
that make care and disease management easier and improve overall
health care delivery. In addition, Merlo will emphasize that
pharmacy care is one of the most cost-effective solutions to
address rising health care costs.
"In fact, increasing medication adherence for chronic diseases
such as high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension results in
significant returns of five to nine times that of the additional
pharmacy spend and could drive billions in costs out of the health
care system," Merlo adds.
Merlo will also talk about the essential role pharmacists play
as they work closely with providers, payers and patients to drive
the use of the highest-value drugs, ensure patients understand how
to take them, prevent errors, support patients during care
transitions and intervene when prescriptions are not filled or
problems arise.
In remarks during a separate presentation at the AHIP meeting on
Friday, Brennan will describe how pharmacy benefits manager CVS
Caremark is working to help control the cost of medicines through
innovative plan design and is evolving to keep pace with a rapidly
changing marketplace. He will also examine the factors impacting
drug trend, including expensive specialty medicines as well as
brand drug price inflation and utilization.
"The problem today is that even though clinically effective and
lower cost generic alternatives are often available, we still see
high brand utilization in certain categories, such as diabetes,"
Brennan says. "The most effective thing we can do is to move people
from higher cost branded drugs to their generic alternatives, which
not only aligns with clinical practice guidelines but also reduces
waste, saves money and can improve health outcomes."
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation
company helping people on their path to better health. Through its
more than 9,600 retail pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical
clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 80 million
plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving
more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty
pharmacy services, 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
Contacts:
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Christine
Cramer
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Christina
Beckerman
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CVS Health
|
CVS Health
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(401)
770-3317
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(401)
770-8868
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christine.cramer@cvshealth.com
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christina.beckerman@cvshealth.com
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SOURCE CVS Health