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April 22, 2005
More than 6,000 Michigan Blue Preferred Plus Physicians Receive Invitation to Join e-Prescribing Initiative by Auto Makers and Health Plans
WardsAuto.com - PR Newswire Industry News
FRI Apr 22 2005, 08:00 AM
DETROIT, April 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- More than 6,000 physicians who are part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Blue Preferred Plus network for autoworkers in southeast Michigan received invitations to sign-up for a major quality initiative aimed at addressing medication errors and the subsequent effect on health care quality and cost. Blue Preferred Plus physician groups also will be eligible for onsite educational sessions on e-Prescribing offered by pharmacy benefit manager Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS). The outreach mailing and onsite educational program are part of the rollout for the Southeast Michigan e-Prescribing Initiative (SEMI), a major effort by the nation's three largest automakers, General Motors, Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler Corp., and the International Union, UAW. The automakers have joined forces with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Medco and the Henry Ford Health System's Health Alliance Plan (HAP) in the far- reaching electronic prescribing collaboration with Michigan health plans and electronic prescribing technology providers. The automakers said as many as 17,000 physicians will have the opportunity to join the program when it is fully implemented. Kim Sorget, vice president of reimbursement policy and program administration for the Michigan Blues said physicians are receiving the names of 15 companies that offer e-Prescribing software. The companies provide the data entry system as well as an internet link between the physician, pharmacy benefit manager and the pharmacy. "This can eliminate the need for patients to carry a paper prescription to the pharmacy," Sorget said. Physicians who install e-Prescribing software, complete training and submit prescription orders electronically will be eligible for incentives through the program as well as auto manufacturer discounts from the auto companies. To promote physician enrollment in the e-Prescribing program, ten Medco clinical pharmacists will begin making office visits to educate southeast Michigan physicians on the benefits of electronic prescribing. This effort is modeled after Medco's highly successful Generics First program, in which pharmacists make physician office visits to encourage the use of less expensive generic drugs. Medco's Gary Levine said that their experience with Generics First has shown that physicians respect pharmacists' clinical expertise and are receptive to the information they can provide. "We believe that offering physicians the opportunity to speak with a colleague about the clinical and administrative benefits of e-Prescribing will help allay any concerns they may have about using the technology." As part of the Initiative, this past January the Henry Ford Health System implemented e-Prescribing through collaboration with the Henry Ford Medical Group -- an 800-member group practice -- and HAP. More than 60 physicians in the Group are equipped with the technology, and have issued more than 19,000 prescriptions to date. E-Prescribing uses an automated data entry system in the physician's office to generate a prescription. The prescription is then printed and faxed, or electronically transmitted from the physician's office to the patient's pharmacy of choice. Electronic prescribing gives physicians real- time access to important safety and coverage information when making prescribing decisions. RxHub, LLC is providing the technology infrastructure that supports the secure, bi-directional exchange of patient-specific prescribing information between physicians and pharmacy benefit managers and the transmission of the electronic prescriptions to the pharmacy. Physician practices, patients and pharmacies can benefit from e-Prescribing in several ways. These benefits include reduction of prescription errors and harmful drug events, a better understanding by the physician of the patient's pharmacy benefits, reduction of calls from the pharmacies to physicians for clarifications, and reduction of patient wait times. A 2003 Medco study showed that the implementation of an electronic prescribing system with health plan coverage messaging led to a 42 percent reduction in the number of pharmacy calls to the physicians' office, with a 30 percent reduction in calls related to prescription illegibility. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that the use of e-Prescribing technology could eliminate as many as two million harmful drug events each year. Each of the health plans and employers, in consultation with Medco, will develop a secure, HIPAA-compliant (adhering to the legislative rules concerning patient privacy), integrated patient data infrastructure that allows patient prescription and medical data to be checked for potential errors when a medication is prescribed.About General Motors
General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, has been the global
industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about
324,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32
countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly
9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total
in the company's history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance
Center in Detroit. More information on GM can be found at http://www.gm.com.About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn,
Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six
continents. With more than 325,000 employees worldwide, the company's core and
affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover,
Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include
Ford Motor Credit Company, Quality Care and Hertz. Ford Motor Company
celebrated its 100th anniversary on June 16, 2003.About DaimlerChrysler Corporation
DaimlerChrysler Corporation, also known as the Chrysler Group, is the
Auburn Hills, Michigan-based unit of DaimlerChrysler AG. DaimlerChrysler
Corp. is involved in the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, financing and
sales of cars, minivans, sport-utility vehicles and trucks for customers
worldwide. Its brands include Chrysler, Jeep(R) and Dodge and feature some of
the world's most recognizable vehicles including the Dodge Viper, Jeep
Wrangler, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Chrysler 300C. Chrysler Group operates in
more than 100 countries and in 2004, sold 2.7 million vehicles worldwide.About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit corporation, provides or
administers health care benefits to nearly 4.8 million members through a
variety of plans: Traditional Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Preferred,
Community Blue and Healthy Blue PPOs, Blue Choice Point of Service, Blue Care
Network HMO, and Blue HSA(SM) plans compatible with health savings accounts.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit
corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association. For more information, visit http://www.bcbsm.com.About HAP
Headquartered in Detroit, Mich., Health Alliance Plan is the nonprofit
managed care arm of the Henry Ford Health System. HAP serves 530,000 members
from 2,800 employer groups. The health plan's commercial HMO product received
Excellent Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. HAP
provides health care benefits through a variety of health plans, including
PPOs, consumer-driven health plans with compatible health savings accounts,
and product offerings for multi-state companies featuring a national provider
network through a recent marketing affiliation with CIGNA HealthCare.About Henry Ford Health System
Henry Ford Health System (http://www.henryford.com), one of the country's
leading health care systems, integrates primary and specialty care with
research and education. It includes Henry Ford Hospital and four owned or
affiliated hospitals; Health Alliance Plan, a 530,000 member HMO; the 800
physician/scientist Henry Ford Medical Group, 22 ambulatory centers and other
health-related services located throughout southeastern Michigan.About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc., a leading pharmacy benefit manager with the
nation's largest mail order pharmacy operations, assists its customers to
moderate the cost and enhance the quality of prescription drug benefits
provided to members nationwide. Its customers include private- and
public-sector employers and healthcare organizations. Medco is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MHS. On the Net:
http://www.medco.com.This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ
materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking
statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from
those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-
looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this presentation should be evaluated
together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business,
particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of Medco's Annual
Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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