1. (NU) - Have you ever suffered
from sticker shock at the phar-
macy? You arrive with a pre-
scription from your doctor, but
you are told that the medication
is not covered and could cost you
several hundred dollars. Health
insurance and prescription drug
coverage is a complex puzzle,
and many consumers find them-
selves at a loss to understand
what is or isn’t covered and why.
However, some companies are
trying to make the process easier.
In particular, services to educate
doctors and patients about drug
benefits right in the doctor’s of-
fice can help avoid unpleasant
surprises at the pharmacy.
One example is a new drug
benefit service available from
Humana’s IntelligentRx service,
available to physicians through
DrFirst’s electronic prescription
system. It provides doctors with
details about their Humana pa-
tients’ drug coverage, pricing
and pharmacy options on the
spot in the exam room. Doctors
and patients can discuss and re-
view drug costs and options as
the prescription is being written.
According to William Flem-
ing, president of Humana Phar-
macy, the ability to help doctors
make informed prescribing deci-
sions in the exam room can help
improve clinical outcomes by im-
proving patients’ access and ad-
herence to their medications.
“Real-time information pro-
vided by the IntelligentRx service
is a perfect example of how we
can help doctors proactively de-
liver better care more affordably
to their patients,” Fleming said.
“This is a big step forward in clos-
ing the gaps in the health care sys-
tem, using transparency and tech-
nology to create a better health
care experience,” he added.
Here’s how it works: A doctor
chooses a medication, and the Dr-
First’s myBenefitCheck interface
connects with Humana’s Intelli-
gentRXservice.Thedoctorseesin-
formation specific to his or her pa-
tientaboutdrugcostsandcoverage,
information about drug allergies
and even alternative therapies.
Such programs could have a
significant impact on health care
costs, which are a known barrier
to medication adherence. Based
on data from the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, ap-
proximately 125,000 deaths in the
United States each year result
from individuals not taking med-
ications as prescribed.
For more information, please
visit www.Humana.com or
www.drfirst.com.
Know Your Drug Costs Before
You Leave the Doctor’s Office
HEALTH
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Identify drug costs while
you’re still with your doctor.
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