Content about CVS Caremark

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The fact that CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has partnered with Allscripts to leverage its electronic health record system helps further position MinuteClinic for future growth and clinical collaboration.

(THE NEWS: MinuteClinic deploys Allscripts EHR nationally. For the full story, click here.)

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Physicians in 35% of cases involving more than 250,000 newly diagnosed diabetes patients did not follow the American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes consensus guidelines for recommended treatment, according to a new CVS Caremark study.

CHICAGO and WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic has announced that it will transition from its existing proprietary electronic medical record system to the Allscripts MyWay Electronic Health Record.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Retailers have always been about enhancing the shopping experience, but there are two factors this year that really should underscore the importance in that customer focus. Differentiating a retail shopping trip by experience is a lot friendlier to the margins because a shopper willing to trade on shopping experience also is willing to spend a little more.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The regulatory review of the Express Scripts-Medco merger now is in its final stages, and with the clock ticking down to that 30-day deadline, you can expect a full court-press from retail pharmacy interests looking to block the deal. The time for the three-point finesse shots from the corners of the court has passed, it's now time to charge the net and jam the message home; an Express Scripts-Medco merger is bad both for the retail pharmacy business and for consumers. However, it just might be good for CVS Caremark.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark recorded strong financial results for the fourth quarter and full year, and made solid progress across the enterprise during 2011, which set the stage for future growth. However, it was the potential benefit that CVS Caremark is seeing from Walgreens’ battle with Express Scripts that was top of mind for many and was a key question that president and CEO Larry Merlo hit head on at the top of Wednesday morning’s conference call.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Representatives of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, a private foundation created by CVS Caremark, kicked off a "Day of Giving" on Tuesday by surprising several nonprofits with the grant funding they had requested.

The visits, hosted by several of the company's executives, were timed to coincide with the announcement that $4.3 million has been awarded in grants to 98 nonprofit organizations across the country in 2011, which includes multiyear grants from previous years.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has introduced a program that allows pharmacy patients to receive immediate notification via text message when their prescription is ready to be picked up, the drug store chain said.

Order Ready Text Messaging, which is available on nearly all mobile carriers, offers text alerts in English and Spanish. Customers interest in enrolling into Order Ready Text Messaging can do so by speaking to a pharmacy staff member or visiting CVS.com/text. Standard message rates apply.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund announced on Tuesday that it has awarded CVS Caremark a three-year contract to provide prescription drug benefits to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania employees, retirees and dependents, beginning July 1.

The PEBTF account will be serviced from the CVS Caremark mail order pharmacy in Wilkes Barre, Pa., the specialty pharmacy in Monroeville, Pa., and the customer service center in Monroeville, Pa.

A mass merchandise retailer based in the Midwest has become the latest chain to join the move toward smartphone apps that allow customers to manage their pharmacy prescriptions. Fresh off the heels of its merger with Omaha, Neb.-based Pamida, Shopko announced the launch of an app for BlackBerry, Android and iPhone users that will allow customers to refill and manage their pharmacy prescriptions.


WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The results of CVS Caremark’s study, which found that its Pharmacy Advisor program increased medication adherence rates and physician initiation of prescriptions, is important as it further underscores the benefits of the program, and those benefits are bound to becomes even greater as the retailer gears up for the next generation of the clinical program.

WASHINGTON — CVS Caremark's chief healthcare strategy officer on Tuesday outlined how the company's integrated pharmacy-based program for such chronic diseases as diabetes, called Pharmacy Advisor, increased medication adherence rates and physician initiation of prescriptions for concomitant medications to improve patient health.