CVS Introduces Diabetes Program to Improve Health, Lower Costs
CVS Health recently announced a new program, “Transform Diabetes Care,” aimed at improving health outcomes and lowering pharmacy costs by improving medication adherence, A1C control, and lifestyle management.
“The Transform Diabetes Care program focuses on three key components to help improve outcomes and reduce overall health care spend in diabetes: medication adherence, A1C control and lifestyle management,” Troyen A Brennan, MD, chief medical officer of CVS Health, said in a press release. “What's unique about this program is that at CVS Health we are able to marshal resources across our enterprise and provide a high level of personalized support and care via multiple touch points. What makes our face-to-face counseling and education at our more than 9600 pharmacy locations and more than 1100 MinuteClinic locations so effective is that it happens when patients are already thinking about their health.”
The program, expected to launch in early 2017, specifically tailors support for patients with diabetes and incorporates clinical care and cost management solutions, including a single-digit client trend guarantee for medicines in the antidiabetic category. It is estimated that the program will save participating patients approximately $3000 to $5000 per year for each person who successfully improves overall diabetes control.
The “Transform Diabetes Care” program identifies improvement opportunities through advanced analytics for enrolled members. It leverages the company’s health engagement engine to enable more effective outreach by identifying personalized counseling that is unique to each patient. The interventions delivered to each patient come at no extra cost and can be utilized in person at a CVS pharmacy or by telephone.
CVS patients will have additional options for diabetes management, including access to digital tools within the CVS mobile app to help reduce the complexity of daily disease management. They will also be offered a connected glucometer that automatically shares blood glucose levels with a pharmacist-led team, enabling the team to identify potential issues and intervene with coaching, as needed.
“In 2016 antidiabetic drugs were the leading driver of gross costs for our clients,” said Jonathan Roberts, president of CVS Caremark. “The Transform Diabetes Care program will enable us to help our clients manage the unsustainable increases in the cost of diabetes care by maximizing the value and effectiveness of our engagement with patients to improve clinical outcomes, while also employing strategic approaches to actively manage and control costs.”
—Julie Mazurkiewicz
