CVS Caremark Named as Finalist for 2011 URAC Award for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection

WOONSOCKET, R.I., May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark was selected as one of 20 finalists for the 2011 URAC Awards for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection. URAC, the nation's leading accreditation organization, will honor the finalists during URAC's 12th Annual Quality Summit, October 4-6, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.

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CVS Caremark's Pharmacy Advisor program was selected by a distinguished panel of judges out of entries from across the nation. Finalists are invited to present their winning programs at the Annual Quality Summit, which will showcase best practices in two categories: consumer decision-making and consumer health improvement.

To reduce medical costs by improving medication adherence and closing gaps in care for diabetes, CVS Caremark developed Pharmacy Advisor™, an innovative solution that leverages our assets both as a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) and as a national retail pharmacy chain to improve pharmacy care. Pharmacy Advisor provides members with brief, targeted and proactive consultations through PBM and retail channels, across the continuum of care. CVS Caremark engages members according to their expressed preferences and when they are most receptive to messages about their prescribed therapy; face-to-face when members choose to fill prescriptions at CVS/pharmacy, or by phone when members choose our mail pharmacy. The use of these integrated tactics drives behavior change not only in the short term, but also over time, leading to better clinical outcomes.

"We are pleased that CVS Caremark and our Pharmacy Advisor program has been selected as a finalist by URAC," said Per Lofberg, president of CVS Caremark's pharmacy benefit management business. "Pharmacy Advisor is an example of our efforts to develop innovative programs that improve patient engagement, better manage chronic diseases like diabetes and help clients manage their health care costs."

"URAC's Annual Quality Summit provides a unique opportunity for leaders in health care to learn what premier companies are doing to advance consumer empowerment and protection," said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "We are proud to honor CVS Caremark's Pharmacy Advisor program. By sharing these best practices, we can work to inspire the industry as a whole to adopt proven practices that advance patient safety and empower consumers."

All finalists are invited to attend the awards ceremony during the conference, when they will discover how they will be distinguished as award winners. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention Award winners in each of the six organization categories will be announced at the dinner. Platinum Award winners will also be announced, in the two topic categories.

For complete conference details and to register for URAC's 12th Annual Quality Summit, October 4-6, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois, go to http://www.urac.org/12thAnnualSummit/12thAnnualSummit.asp.

About CVS Caremark

CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States with integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care. We are uniquely positioned to engage plan members in behaviors that improve their health and to lower overall health care costs for health plans, plan sponsors and their members. CVS Caremark is a market leader in mail order pharmacy, retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, and retail clinics, and is a leading provider of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. As one of the country's largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), we provide access to a network of approximately 65,000 pharmacies, including more than 7,100 CVS/pharmacy® stores that provide unparalleled service and capabilities. Our clinical offerings include our signature Pharmacy Advisor™ program as well as innovative generic step therapy and genetic benefit management programs that promote more cost effective and healthier behaviors and improve health care outcomes. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the Company's website at http://info.cvscaremark.com/.

SOURCE CVS Caremark