Content about U.S. healthcare

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark posted second-quarter results that were at the high end of its guidance and narrowed its 2011 outlook on continued confidence. But it was the pharmacy benefit management business — and the potential merger of PBM rivals Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions — that was top of mind for many industry observers, and was a topic that CVS Caremark president and CEO Larry Merlo hit head-on at the start of Thursday morning’s conference call.


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The National Consumers League recently launched the Script Your Future initiative to raise awareness among patients about the impact of not taking their medications as prescribed, and now the first-of-its-kind campaign is kicking off in several markets around the country.


Script Your Future is an important initiative, as 3-out-of-4 Americans fail to take their medications as prescribed by their doctors. This equates to an estimated $290 billion drain on the U.S. healthcare system each year — costs that are avoidable.


WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The news that CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic has entered into a clinical affiliation with Advocate Health Care and Advocate Physician Partners is important as it reflects a larger focus within the U.S. healthcare landscape: medical homes, or for a growing number of Americans, the lack thereof.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — As one retail pharmacy executive put it, "many members of Congress only experience the pharmacy industry through their eyes as a patient." Thanks to NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill, however, that no longer has to be the case.

(THE NEWS: NACDS RxImpact Day 2011 takes aim at new lawmakers. For the full story, click here)

WASHINGTON — Mark Merritt, the president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, responded to a provision on the Pentagon's new budget proposal, which encourages Tricare members to use generic medications and mail-service pharmacies to save money.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Convenient care industry pioneer Kevin Smith took a leap more than 10 years ago and helped create the successful nurse practitioner-staffed retail clinic concept. Today, the industry trailblazer is embarking on a new venture to further revolutionize access to health care. Enter Zipnosis.com.


WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Almost $8,000 a year in healthcare savings, per patient. That’s how much patients with congestive heart failure could save the U.S. healthcare system simply by taking their medications as prescribed, an exhaustive, three-year study by CVS Caremark concluded.

(THE NEWS: Adherence among chronic disease patients can lead to big savings. For the full story, click here)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Poor medication adherence is one of the nation’s “most persistent” healthcare problems, costing the U.S. health system as much as $290 billion a year, or 13% of total health expenditures, according to the New England Healthcare Institute. In response, the nonprofit organization is calling for an urgent national campaign to improve adherence through a team-based, collaborative approach to long-term patient therapy.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — That Medicare doesn’t universally cover the use of retail clinics — and even create a structure that encourages their use for certain services — is a key symptom of what is wrong with the U.S. healthcare system.

THE NEWS: Duane Reade Walk-In Medical Care clinics to accept Medicare. For the full story, click here)

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The USA Today article highlighting nurse-managed centers as one “innovative” program that could help fill the primary care physician void is important because it underscores the important role that nurse practitioners play in delivering quality healthcare services.

(THE NEWS: Nurse-managed centers may fill primary care physician void. For the full story, click here)