Accolade Launches Medication Integrated Care to Address Prescription Drug Costs and Complications

Medication Integrated Care combines pharmacist-led medication therapy management with advanced analytics powered by Rx Savings Solutions to help employers reach individuals most likely to struggle with prescription complications and barriers to care.

SEATTLE, May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Accolade (Nasdaq: ACCD), the company that provides millions of individuals and their families with Personalized Healthcare, today announced the launch of Medication Integrated Care, an innovative offering for employers designed to address affordability, barriers to care and complications associated with prescription medications.

Recent data from SHRM shows that employer health plan costs rose sharply in 2021 and for large employers that increase included a 7.4% hike in spend on prescription drugs. According to analysis by Accolade, large employers using Accolade spend a median of 26% of their healthcare costs on prescription drugs. Opportunities to improve medication management exist across the employee population, with the greatest clinical risk concentrated in 8% of the population.

Accolade and Rx Savings Solutions have come together to help employers address this critical area of the employee healthcare experience. Medication Integrated Care seamlessly combines the power of both companies' teams and technologies while empowering Accolade's pharmacists to deliver incremental, proactive interventions to those in a customer's population most in need of medication guidance. Medication Integrated Care can help reduce both direct medication costs and associated healthcare complication costs.

"The power of providing clinically integrated solutions to companies is that they can turn around and offer a benefit to their employees that closes a major gap in healthcare," said Dr. Shantanu Nundy, chief medical officer at Accolade. "We see members all the time who are skipping medication doses because the cost of the refill is too high, or duplicating therapies prescribed by different doctors who aren't on the same page or unknowingly taking prescriptions that should not be mixed. We provide a personalized service that identifies members most at risk and reaches out to help them address their barriers."

Four ways Medication Integrated Care delivers value to employers

By catching risks early and leveraging the strength of a pharmacist-led care team, the solution will help employers deliver a better employee healthcare experience that includes:

1. Lower risk of hospital admissions and serious complications Medication Integrated Care provides a layer of oversight by identifying members with the greatest risk of medication-related complications such as polypharmacy and opiate prescriptions.
2. Lower out-of-pocket spend Rx Savings Solutions utilizes sophisticated prescription claims analytics and an advanced member engagement platform to guide members to lower cost options for themselves and employers when appropriate.
3. Support from a team of experts Accolade's personalized healthcare approach alleviates the anxiety members may feel when it comes to managing their medications. The care team works to help resolve the many barriers a member may face obtaining and taking their medications as prescribed.
4. Coordinated care on behalf of the member Accolade pharmacists provide members with critical education and conduct medication reviews to identify any duplicative or harmful medications and then work directly with the member's doctor to improve the treatment plan.

"The increasing costs of prescription medication can result in people failing to take their medications as prescribed which can lead to additional risks and negative outcomes. By bringing together our advanced pharmacy cost analytics and member engagement platform with Accolade's clinical expertise, population health model and deep member relationships, we will be able to incorporate both clinical guidance and cost savings for the member and the payer in every interaction," said Michael Rea, PharmD, founder and CEO of Rx Savings Solutions. "Our two organizations have worked together for several years and we're excited to deepen the partnership to deliver even greater outcomes and ROI for our mutual customers."

Accolade's Integrated Care offerings 

Medication Integrated Care is the second clinically integrated care solution from Accolade. The power of integrated care comes from the deep combination of services from Accolade and ecosystem healthcare partners to support a member's healthcare journey and guide them to the right care at the right time. Accolade announced its first integrated care solution, Mental Health Integrated Care, in late 2020 in partnership with Ginger (now part of Headspace Health). Mental Health Integrated Care supports over 250,000 members today.

Read more about Medication Integrated Care here.

About Accolade 
Accolade (Nasdaq: ACCD) provides millions of people and their families with an exceptional healthcare experience that is personal, data driven, and value based to help every person live their healthiest life. Accolade solutions combine virtual primary care, mental health support and expert medical opinion services with intelligent technology and best-in-class care navigation. Accolade's Personalized Healthcare approach puts humanity back in healthcare by building relationships that connect people and their families to the right care at the right time to improve outcomes, lower costs and deliver consumer satisfaction. Accolade consistently receives consumer satisfaction ratings over 90%. For more information, visit accolade.com. 

About Rx Savings Solutions

Founded by a pharmacist, Rx Savings Solutions helps people and payers reduce prescription drug costs through a combination of clinical technology, transparency, member engagement and concierge support. Currently 17 million members have access to personalized recommendations for lowering prescription costs and dedicated pharmacy experts to help navigate benefits, providers and pharmacies. For more information, visit rxss.com or follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Accolade