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| To: Community Pharmacist |
| From: Bruce Roberts, RPh, Executive Vice President & CEO |
For many years, we have been working together to demonstrate pharmacy's role in improving health care quality and cost efficiency. NCPA's collaboration with Solon, Ohio-based MemberHealth to create Community Care Rx (CCRx)* began in 2004 and is a key example of our vision for the future of pharmacy. Initially established to provide a Medicare-approved drug discount card, CCRx's success helped drive its transformation into one of only 10 nationwide Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.
Now MemberHealth has the opportunity to go to the next level, while holding on to what makes CCRx so successful. Earlier today, MemberHealth Inc., NCPA's co-collaborator in the development of CCRx, announced that it will be acquired by Universal American Financial Corp. of Rye Brook, New York. NCPA strongly supports the transaction, which we view as a validation of CCRx's pharmacist-driven health care model that promotes the value of pharmacy in reducing costs and improving care. It's important to note that the CCRx plan will continue to offer:
- Medication Therapy Management
- "Welcome to CCRx" Medication Reviews
- Its generic incentive program
- A 90-days at retail emphasis
- The MemberHealth and NCPA Advisory Board initiatives
CCRx works because its policies were shaped with direct input from pharmacists. It has been implemented with our ongoing commitment to the principle that pharmacists are central to improving patient care and saving health care system dollars. Our success is tangible. MemberHealth currently covers more than 1.1 million beneficiaries through CCRx, making it one of the top four most popular Medicare PDPs. Medicare beneficiaries that participate in CCRx benefit from substantial cost-savings on prescriptions, a broad formulary, an extensive national pharmacy network, and accessibility to a dedicated call center. These features are one reason why CCRx was recently named the nation's leading Part D plan for customer satisfaction by a top health care market research firm.
MemberHealth will be a part of a company that expects to roll out new pharmacist-driven plans and services, such as Medicare Advantage plans. Pharmacists could play a vital role in these managed care plans to help keep patients healthy and out of the hospital. Creating such an alliance will be one of NCPA's priorities.
NCPA's role in CCRx will continue with Universal American just as it did with MemberHealth, and our common objective remains to focus on opportunities that align the interests of patients, payers, and pharmacists. We remain committed to bringing you new opportunities to better serve your patients and help secure the future of our pharmacy businesses.
*Community Care Rx (CCRx) operates as Community Pharmacists Care Rx in Oklahoma
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