CVS/pharmacy Helping People on Their Path to Better Health Through Improved Medication Adherence

PRESS RELEASE

CVS/pharmacy is informing pharmacy customers about the importance of a single "pharmacy home" for all of their prescriptions to help them on their path to better health. Guidance gained from CVS Caremark's extensive health policy research with

Harvard University

and Brigham and Women's Hospital has pointed to new ways customers can stay healthy and save money. For example, patients who use one pharmacy are more likely to stay on their medications; talking with your pharmacist can make you twice as likely to take your medications as prescribed; and taking medications as prescribed can lower health care costs by thousands of dollars annually.

"These research-based facts are important for all patients taking medications to understand so they not only feel better, but also save money," said Papatya Tankut, RPh, Vice President Professional Pharmacy Services, CVS/pharmacy. "This is especially true for older patients who take two to three times as many prescription medications as those under 65. With the first Baby Boomers turning 65 — and 10,000 people in the U.S. turning 65 every day for the next eight years – this group is growing."

Having a "pharmacy home" for all of their prescriptions helps patients guard against potential drug interactions. It also encourages the development of a relationship with their pharmacist, who can counsel on the role of medications in treating their health conditions and the importance of staying on prescription therapies to improve their health and reduce their overall health care costs.

"A pharmacist in a face-to-face setting is the most effective health care professional at encouraging patients to take medications as prescribed," Tankut added. "When patients fill all of their prescriptions at CVS/pharmacy, our pharmacists are in a better position to help them on their path to better health."

CVS/pharmacy is inviting patients to share their stories of how CVS pharmacists have helped them stay healthy and save money. Now available at www.facebook.com/cvs, myCVS Pharmacist Story features thousands of comments from patients sharing experiences involving their own care, that of their children, or others for whom they are serving as caregivers.

CVS/pharmacy also provides customers with a number of services at http://www.cvs.com/ to help make it even easier to manage their medications, including online prescription ordering for pick-up at their local CVS/pharmacy or postal delivery to their home, text alerts when prescriptions are ready, a drug interaction checker, access to their prescription history, and prescription management tools for caregivers.