Universal American Announces New Patient Care Program
company’s new collaborative patient care program for members enrolled in one
of Universal American’s Medicare Advantage plans that carry the Community
CCRx(SM) Prescription Drug Plan. Through the collaboration of pharmacists and
primary care doctors with the patient, the program focuses on creating a
continuum of health care to improve overall patient safety.
Unique to conventional healthcare approaches, this new Universal American
program utilizes the expertise and commitment of community pharmacists to
build a more formal process of collaborative patient care with the patient’s
primary care physician. With the increased involvement of the pharmacist, the
program aims to enhance patient safety by boosting medication adherence,
streamlining medication reconciliation upon a patient’s discharge from the
hospital and improving health outcomes around chronic conditions such as
diabetes and hypertension.
“On average, our members see their community pharmacists at least 12 times
each year. That’s more frequent than they see their physicians,” says
Barasch
position to significantly enhance the overall health of their patients. This
new program helps achieve that goal by providing them with the tools and
infrastructure needed to do that.”
This new Universal American program is yet another healthcare innovation
designed to reinforce and ensure complete patient care and safety throughout a
patient’s treatment and recovery. It is a new approach that from an
affordability standpoint, seeks to reduce healthcare costs and ultimately
lower premiums. More important, it promotes and prioritizes the professional
oversight necessary to safeguard and protect the health and well being of
Universal American members when they need it most.
The Universal American program uses an informational database maintained
by Mirixa Corporation, a leading provider of clinical health information
technologies for pharmacy. The program will roll out in phases, and is
expected to launch to all members enrolled in Medicare Advantage programs with
prescription drug coverage powered by CCRx the beginning of 2009.
About Universal American
Universal American offers a diverse range of healthcare products –
including health insurance, managed care, and prescription drug benefits –
through its subsidiaries. Its companies are collectively among the leading
providers of Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans in the
U.S., as over two million seniors rely on Universal American’s products for
their health or prescription drug coverage. For more information on Universal
American, please visit our website at www.universalamerican.com.
SOURCE Universal American