Two healthcare IT vendors are joining forces to help patients manage their prescription drug costs before leaving the doctor’s office.
Express Scripts, Inc., which develops integrated pharmacy benefit management solutions, has announced a partnership with Greatwater Software, Inc., that will allow Express Scripts to offer its PBM services to patients through Greatwater’s PatientPoint kiosks.
Through this platform, those using the kiosks in a doctor’s office to check on their appointments can also gain access to their prescription benefits and prescription management options, such as generic drug and home delivery services. The initiative highlights two important trends in healthcare: the growing interest in patient-directed healthcare through self-service means like kiosks, and the real-time availability to healthcare data to push point-of-care decisions.
“Presenting consumers with prescription management options at the point of care not only promotes better prescription compliance but also empowers patients to take a more active role in managing their health,” said Steve Miller, MD, chief medical officer of St. Louis-based Express Scripts. “Only half of all patients are estimated to take their prescriptions as prescribed by their physician. By utilizing Greatwater Software’s kiosk technology, we will be able to more closely monitor prescription adherence and conversion rates, which will provide us with valuable insight into patient medication compliance.”
“An increasing number of physician practices are adopting self-service for functions such as patient registration, bill payment and appointment scheduling. Through this important collaboration, patients who are members of health plans that partner with Express Scripts will have access to prescription management options that make it more cost-effective and convenient for them to comply with their medication plans,” added Don Shaver, CEO of Greatwater Software, based in Orlando, Fla. “At the same time, the initiative will provide Express Scripts with a centralized method for communicating with their member population at the point of care.
Executives of both companies say this partnership will help patients who, when faced with high medical expenses, are considering not filling prescriptions to cut down on out-of-pocket costs. They point to a recent Archives of Internal Medicine study that indicates 35 percent of patients with a chronic illness are cutting back on prescribed medications and not discussing this with a doctor.
“With healthcare costs continuing to rise, our patients appreciate the chance to save money on their prescriptions while also reducing trips to the pharmacy,” said Pradeep Vangala, MD, president of Orlando Internal Medicine in Orlando, Fla., which served as a pilot site for the project. “Meanwhile, our physicians have a better understanding of patients’ prescription compliance issues without having to ask a number of questions during the patient visit, resulting in greater overall efficiency.”