Medco, Medical Mutual of Ohio(R) Power Patient Safety and Cut Healthcare Costs with ePrescribing Initiative

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As health care reform proceeds toward implementation, Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS), in collaboration with Medical Mutual of Ohio®, are hitting the ground running by delivering improved patient safety, reducing prescription drug costs and boosting physician practice efficiency through an initiative that encourages ePrescribing in Ohio. The program, which began in March 2010 and runs through September 2010, will help physicians use personal computers and wireless devices to write prescriptions and send them to the pharmacy for filling.

"ePrescribing puts life-saving information about adverse drug events in front of the doctor at the point of care," said John P. Driscoll, Medco's President of New Markets. "It's a critical component to transforming healthcare from our present system to one that is efficient, sustainable and patient-centered."

"Medical Mutual of Ohio knows that payer-physician collaboration leads to cost effective, quality care," said Dr. Robert Rzewnicki, Medical Mutual's Chief Medical Officer. "ePrescribing is a proven way of enhancing patient safety while reducing the administrative cost and lightening the workload in physician's offices. We're happy to help accelerate its adoption."

The program includes financial incentives for participating physicians who adopt ePrescribing into their practice.

At least 1.5 million preventable adverse drug events occur each year in the United States according to a 2006 report by the Institute of Medicine.(1) ePrescribing can reduce that number by putting critical clinical information at the fingertips of physicians where it can do the most good—at the point of care.

(1)  Institute of Medicine. Preventing Medication Errors: Quality Chasm Series. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2007.

ePrescribing uses an automated data entry system (such as a desktop computer, handheld device or personal computer tablet) in the physician's office to electronically submit a prescription to the patient's pharmacy of choice.

The benefits of ePrescribing include:

• Reducing potentially harmful drug interactions by alerting physicians of possible risks  
• Eliminating medication errors due to illegible handwriting
• Increasing the use of generics and preferred drugs by providing physicians with formulary information when writing the prescription, resulting in savings for the patient
• Eliminating patient wait time at the pharmacy by furnishing physicians with benefit plan details at the point of prescribing so that changes won't be needed when the prescription's being filled.

ePrescribing in Ohio

According to the 2008 State Progress Report on Electronic Prescribing, Ohio ranked 13th in the nation for use of ePrescribing. Almost five percent of prescriptions within the state were transmitted electronically in 2008, up from 2.5 percent in 2007(i).  Total prescription routing volume (the ability to electronically route the prescription to the patient's pharmacy of choice) in Ohio rose to 3 million in 2008, up from 1.5 million in 2007.

(i)  SureScripts Safe Rx Program. Ohio ranking: http://www.surescripts.com/e-prescribing-statistics-charts.aspx?name=OH2009. Accessed on March 17, 2010.

About Medical Mutual

Founded in 1934 Medical Mutual of Ohio is the oldest and largest health insurance company based in Ohio. For more than 75 years the company has served its customers through high-quality, affordable group and personal health insurance plans, and third-party administrative services to self-insured group customers. For more information, visit the company's award-winning Web site at www.MedMutual.com.

About Medco

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the world's most advanced pharmacy® and its clinical research and innovations are part of Medco making medicine smarter™ for approximately 65 million members.

With more than 20,000 employees dedicated to improving patient health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and private sector clients, and 2009 revenues of nearly $60 billion, Medco ranks 45th on the Fortune 500 list and is named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most trustworthy companies. For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.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 press release should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.