NASHVILLE, TENN., August 6, 2007
Caremark and Epocrates Collaborate to Enhance Provider Relations
Multi-faceted Partnership Broadens Access to Information and Resources
The Caremark Pharmacy Services division of
CVS Caremark Corporation and medical software company Epocrates, Inc. today announced a pilot agreement to make formulary and clinical information from Caremark more accessible to healthcare professionals via the web and on their mobile devices. The collaboration aims to support on-formulary prescribing and improve education about patient services and resources.
The more than 500,000 clinicians using Epocrates’ drug reference software now have quick and convenient access to the national Caremark Primary/Preferred Drug List and Caremark Prescribing Guide. In addition, all Medicare Part D formularies for Caremark clients are available, as well as the formulary for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Government-wide Service Benefit Plan, also known as the Federal Employee Plan.
Physicians and other healthcare professionals can download the formulary lists they frequently reference onto their mobile devices or access them via the online version at no cost. Epocrates regularly updates its formulary feature to ensure current coverage information is available. By having immediate access to drug coverage information, clinicians can better prescribe on-formulary. This saves their patients out-of-pocket costs, which in turn may improve medication adherence. It may also enhance their office’s efficiency through reduced pharmacy and patient callbacks or faxes.
“This agreement is one measure of Caremark’s commitment to make clinical information readily available at the point of care,” said Dr. Jan Berger, Caremark Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer. “The addition of this formulary information via Epocrates is intended to promote more efficient healthcare and greater patient satisfaction.”
To further enhance provider relations, Caremark also is sharing relevant clinical information to Epocrates users on a quarterly basis via the Epocrates DocAlert service. Providers receive Epocrates’ DocAlert messages, which are brief medical news alerts, directly on their mobile devices to support clinical decisions and keep up to date at the point of care. Caremark’s targeted mobile messages will include information about selected specialty pharmacy services and disease management resources for patients as well as the availability and use of generics.
“We applaud Caremark’s efforts in exploring new and more direct channels to improve communications with providers,” said Kirk Loevner, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Epocrates. “Through our collaboration, Caremark is not only meeting its providers’ needs by making its formularies more accessible, but also proactively educating them about Caremark’s custom patient services and benefits.”
About Caremark Pharmacy Services
Caremark Pharmacy Services is the pharmacy benefit management, mail order and specialty pharmacy division of CVS Caremark, the No. 1 provider of prescriptions and related healthcare services in the nation. The Company fills or manages more than 1 billion prescriptions annually. Through its unmatched breadth of service offerings, CVS Caremark is transforming the delivery of healthcare services in the U.S. In addition to Caremark Pharmacy Services, the Company is uniquely positioned to effectively manage costs and improve healthcare outcomes through its 6,200 CVS/pharmacy stores; its retail-based health clinic subsidiary, MinuteClinic; and its online pharmacy, CVS.com. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website, at http://investor.cvs.com, as well as through the pressroom portion of the Company’s website, at www.cvs.com/pressroom.
CONTACTS: Dale Thomas CVS Caremark Corporate Communications PHONE: (480) 614-7212 WEB: www.cvs.com Erica Sniad Morgenstern Epocrates Public Relations PHONE: (650) 227-6907 E-MAIL: pr@epocrates.com WEB: www.epocrates.com