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WellPoint sends out pill boxes
Inexpensive pill boxes could help at-risk members remain adherent to drug regimens and help WellPoint earn a higher star rating
Last month, WellPoint mailed out free pill boxes to more than 187,000 at-risk Medicare Part D members across the country. The boxes have divided compartments to organize doses for each day of the week, and WellPoint’s goal is to improve the patients’ medication adherence.
“WellPoint developed this program to educate members of its affiliated plans on the importance of taking their medications,” WellPoint spokesperson Doug Bennett Jr., says. “The pill box was provided as a tool, and an educational piece was provided on the importance of compliance to drug regimens.”
Members on long-term medications in Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans were stratified through claims data, and those at-risk of non-adherence were sent a pill box through the mail. The clear boxes are designed to hold a week’s worth of medication, including vitamins and over-the-counter drugs. The boxes help members keep their pills organized and remind them when a dose is due or missed or when refills are needed.
According to one study, patients with chronic diseases typically take only 50% of doses prescribed by their physicians, costing the system more than $100 billion annually, attributed primarily to hospitalizations that otherwise could have been avoided.
According to Bennett, distribution costs for the pill boxes were relatively low, but he could not disclose the exact investment.
The program could also help to improve member satisfaction and raise Medicare star ratings for the plan.
David Calabrese of OptumRx Talks New Role, Market Insulin Prices and Other Topics 'On His Mind'
April 13th 2023In this month’s episode of the "What's On Your Mind podcast," Peter Wehrwein, managing editor of MHE connects with the now Chief Clinical Officer of OptumRx Integrated Pharmacies, David Calabrese. In this conversation, David touches on his transition in January as OptumRx’s former chief pharmacy officer and market president of health plans and PBMs to his new role as Chief Clinical Officer where he now focuses more on things such as specialty pharmacy to home delivery — with an overall goal of creating whole-patient care. Throughout the conversation, Calabrese also touched on the market’s hot topic of insulin prices and behavioral health services within the OptumRx community, among other topics.
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In this episode of the "Meet the Board" podcast series, Briana Contreras, Managed Healthcare Executive editor, speaks with Ateev Mehrotra, a member of the MHE editorial advisory board and a professor of healthcare policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School. Mehtrotra is also a hospitalist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. In the discussion, Contreras gets to know Mehrotra more on a personal level and picks his brain on some of his research interests including telehealth, alternative payment models and price transparency.
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