CVS Caremark Encourages Heart Healthy Behavior During American Heart Month

PRESS RELEASE

WOONSOCKET, R.I.

, Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of American Heart Month this February, CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) reminds patients that health screenings and adherence to medication regimens play an important role in the prevention of heart disease. When combined with healthy lifestyle choices, scheduling regular check-ups and taking prescribed medication in accordance with doctor's orders can significantly reduce the likelihood of adverse health conditions associated with heart disease.

"Knowing your cholesterol and blood pressure levels and understanding the impact that certain factors, such as smoking and obesity, have on your likelihood to develop heart disease can be life-saving information," said Troyen Brennan, MD, MPH, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Caremark. "The more educated a patient is about his or her own risk factors, the more he or she will be able to work with a physician or pharmacist around intervention strategies that can further reduce the harmful onset of heart disease."

Throughout the month of February, CVS/pharmacy will offer special savings and offers on heart-healthy products such as aspirin, vitamins and blood pressure monitors. Many CVS locations will also feature a "Heart Health Center" display to make products including CVS Brand aspirin, fish oil supplements and blood pressure monitors easy for customers to find. In addition, the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare Advantage for Diabetes program is offering its members special deals on CVS Brand aspirin and Nature Made Full Strength Mini Vitamins. Visit www.cvs.com/diabetes for details.

MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics inside select CVS/pharmacy locations are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants and offer an array of preventative services including high blood pressure evaluations and high cholesterol monitoring. Clinics are open seven days a week with no appointment needed. MinuteClinic health practitioners are also able to share information with a patient's primary care physician to ensure continuity of care.

"Once a patient is undergoing treatment for heart disease or conditions associated with heart disease, helping them on the path to better health means adhering to physician-prescribed regimens that maintain heart health," said Brennan. "This can mean keeping up with good diet and exercise habits, but it can also mean continuing to adhere to prescribed medications. Medication adherence is an often overlooked — but critical – component in treating and preventing heart disease. Patients need to implement medication regimens that ensure they are taking medications at the right times and on a regular basis to prevent the onset of heart disease."

In an effort to promote greater medication adherence, CVS Caremark offers services aimed at helping patients adhere to medication regimens. Through Pharmacy Advisor™, a condition-based program that alerts pharmacists when patients are not adherent to their medication regimens or have a gap in care, pharmacists are able to identify instances or patterns in non-adherence and communicate with patients and their physician in real time. The company also offers the convenience of Maintenance Choice™ to pharmacy benefit management patients, allowing them to fill 90-day supplies of maintenance medications either through the mail or at one of its 7,400 CVS/pharmacy stores at the same lower copay.