OptumRx's specialty pharmacy, BriovaRx®, has received the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) Excellence Award in Quality Improvement for its BriovaLive™ video consultation program.
BriovaLive enables patients to schedule private, tailored appointments with a BriovaRx specialty pharmacist via webcam, on any type of device, to address their unique questions, apprehensions or concerns about new prescriptions.
A recent BriovaRx study revealed a 7 percent increase in the number of adherent patients when they participated in BriovaLive video consultations1 . Since low medication-adherence rates cost the health care system $100 billion to $300 billion in unnecessary medical spending2 every year, BriovaLive is an essential tool in helping to reduce those preventable costs and ensuring proper use of prescriptions.
"This recognition confirms that BriovaLive helps patients prescribed specialty drug therapies overcome the unique challenges they face, such as learning to self-administer complex treatment regimens," said Michael Zeglinski, senior vice president of specialty pharmacy, OptumRx. "Our Patient Care Coordinators and highly-trained pharmacists provide patients with the support, encouragement and reassurance to help them feel secure about their treatment, so they can focus on living healthier lives."
"This year we had a record number of submissions for our annual awards, and we congratulate OptumRx for its outstanding efforts to make Specialty Pharmacy more personalized for patients and caregivers who are dealing with challenging health conditions," said Jane Lutz, executive director of PBMI. "Programs like BriovaLive help ensure that patients have the support they need to take their medications safely and effectively, and provide a human touch that is often just as important."
The BriovaLive video consultation process virtually places a pharmacist alongside the patient – and his or her caregiver, if desired – as the first medication shipment is opened, with a personalized and collaborative conversation that may include:
- "unboxing" of medication and supplies, and help with assembling any devices;
- injection training for proper technique with live feedback;
- education about side effects, drug interactions and proper medication storage; and
- discussions on overall health management to uncover hurdles to patient well-being and to manage coexisting medical conditions.
BriovaRx's commitment to patient well-being and satisfaction is a key driver in structuring its patient programs. Nearly all participating patients believe the video consultation is an improvement over traditional phone conversations with their pharmacies, with 96 percent reporting that they better understand how to use their medicinei.
About OptumRx
OptumRx is a pharmacy care services company helping customers and more than 66 million members achieve better health outcomes and lower overall costs through innovative prescription drug benefits management services, including network claims processing, clinical programs, formulary management and specialty pharmacy care. Leveraging expertise, flexible technology and a network of over 67,000 community pharmacies and state-of-the-art home delivery pharmacies, OptumRx is putting patients at the center of the pharmacy experience and making health care more connected and less fragmented - ensuring patients get the right medication at the right time at the best cost. OptumRx is part of Optum, a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to making the health system work better for everyone. For more information, visit www.optum.com/optumrx.
About Optum
Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. With more than 100,000 people worldwide, Optum delivers intelligent, integrated solutions that help to modernize the health system and improve overall population health. Optum is part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). For more information, visit www.Optum.com.
About PBMI
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute is dedicated to unraveling the complexities of pharmacy benefit management by providing research, continuing education, and Web resources that help organizations work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the overall management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
1Initial Impact of Telepharmacy OnSpecialty Medication Adherence - Leonard Fensterheim, MPH; Jana Gunn, MS; Kelly Pokuta, Pharm.D.; Andrea Straszewski, Pharm.D.; Andrea Marks, MS - Presented at International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), Philadelphia, May 16-20, 2015.
2PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America). Improving Prescription Medicine Adherence is Key to Better Health Care. Jan. 2011. on 11.02.2015.
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