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CVS Health Launches ScriptSync to Make Medication Adherence Easier for Patients who Have Multiple Prescriptions
CVS Health has announced the launch of ScriptSync, a new pharmacy service that enables patients with multiple medications to pick up their prescriptions in a monthly CVS/pharmacy visit.
PRESS RELEASE
WOONSOCKET, R.I., Aug. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE:
) today announced the launch of ScriptSync™, a new pharmacy service that enables patients with multiple medications to pick up their eligible maintenance prescriptions in a monthly CVS/pharmacy visit.
In addition, patients or caregivers can manage their ScriptSync prescriptions 24/7 using innovative online support tools. By aligning prescription fill schedules for patients, CVS Health aims to make it easier and more convenient for patients to take their medications as prescribed. ScriptSync is currently available in all CVS/pharmacy stores and will be available through CVS/caremark Mail Service Pharmacy in 2016.
"Medication adherence is a complex public health challenge, and better adherence can improve health outcomes and lower overall health care costs for both patients and payors," said Troyen A. Brennan, MD, MPH, executive vice president and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health. "Our research shows that people with chronic diseases taking multiple medications may make numerous trips to the pharmacy each month for refills, which makes it harder for them to stay on track with different fill schedules and take them regularly as prescribed. ScriptSync is one more way that we can work together with our patients to make medication adherence easier as we help people on their path to better health."
Medication non-adherence — when people don't take their medicines as prescribed – costs the health care system nearly $300 billion and tens of thousands of lives each year. Research shows that nearly 50 percent of patients with chronic conditions do not take their medications as prescribed. According to
from the CVS Health Research Institute previously published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, as the complexity of patients' medication regimens increases, their adherence decreases. In fact, patients with multiple medications who do not consolidate their medication refills were found to have significantly lower adherence rates than patients who consolidated their refills. Researchers concluded that helping patients simplify, synchronize and organize their pharmacy care, could improve their adherence. Building on the findings of this research, patients in the ScriptSync pilot showed a substantial increase in medication adherence when their multiple, ongoing prescriptions were synchronized for pickup together.
"As a pharmacy innovation company, CVS Health is focused on using our technology and scale to deliver patient-centered pharmacy care and innovative digital solutions to address medication non-adherence," added Brian Tilzer, senior vice president and Chief Digital Officer, CVS Health. "In fact, the online support feature of ScriptSync was developed in our Boston-based Digital Innovation Lab to help make viewing and updating prescription information quick, easy and convenient to give our ScriptSync patients more control over managing their health."
CVS/pharmacy patients with multiple maintenance prescriptions can sign-up for ScriptSync, work with their CVS pharmacist to align prescription fills and determine an optimal pickup date. Once aligned, prescriptions are refilled on the same day, and prior to the pickup date, patients can receive a call or text message when their order is ready. In addition, once enrolled they can access and manage their prescriptions online at
. There, users can add or remove prescriptions from ScriptSync, verify the status of an order and confirm or change their CVS/pharmacy ScriptSync pickup date as needed.
