Only 5 Percent of Home Care Organizations Surveyed by the Joint Commission
Have Received a Score of 100
ORLANDO, Fla., March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- "A perfect score across
all our pharmacy operations, including the capabilities of our specialty
pharmacy - it doesn't get any better than that," said Tim Wentworth, group
president national accounts, Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS), who
presented at the Raymond James and Associates 25th Annual Institutional
Investors Conference today.
In its first application for accreditation, Medco Health, one of the
nation's leading pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), received a perfect score
from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
for its home delivery pharmacies, which include the company's Specialty
Pharmacy Center of Excellence in Columbus, Ohio. JCAHO is a leading
independent not-for-profit, standards-setting and accrediting body in
healthcare. JCAHO recognized all services offered by Medco Health to its
clients and their health plan members through its entire network of home
delivery pharmacies.
Medco Health's perfect accreditation survey score of 100 for Full
Standards Compliance in Home Care - Pharmacy Dispensing Services, puts it
among only 5 percent of organizations in this category to receive such a
score.
Medco Health's Specialty Pharmacy Dispensing Center, part of the company's
Columbus pharmacy operation, serves as a nationwide practice solely dedicated
to processing and dispensing specialty medications - drugs that because of
their high cost or clinical profiles require more intensive interaction with
the pharmacy's professional staff. The specialty pharmacy market is currently
estimated at $20 billion and is expected to reach $35 billion by 2005 with
more than 22 products in 12 disease states on the horizon for that same time
period.
"A perfect score from JCAHO, an organization with rigorous evaluation
standards, validates our commitment to providing the highest standard of care
across our operations -- extending to our specialty pharmacy clients and their
plan members," said Dr. Alan Lotvin, president, Specialty Pharmacy, Medco
Health.
The JCAHO survey included a comprehensive review of 143 standards across
11 areas of focus, including: Leadership, Improving Organization Performance,
Continuum of Care, Rights and Ethics, Care Treatment and Services, Management
of Human Resources and Management of Information. The survey was conducted at
all 11 Medco Health pharmacy sites last fall by JCAHO surveyors and
supplemented by Medco Health's standards compliance documentation. In total,
the company submitted 21 3-inch binders of policies and procedures.
Medco Health has long identified specialty drugs as a priority concern for
its clients, and has dedicated resources to addressing the specialty drug
needs of its clients and their plan members. In 2002, the company created a
Center of Excellence at its Columbus pharmacy solely dedicated to the
processing and dispensing and shipment of specialty medications. "Specialty
drugs are generally expensive, usually injectable, medications used to treat
serious and complex conditions," said Dr. Lotvin. "These complicated diseases
require enhanced patient support and clinical services, which again
underscores the importance of the JCAHO accreditation."
Medco Health's Specialty Pharmacy is staffed by pharmacists and nurses
specifically trained in the dispensing, handling and consulting required for
specialty medications and the members who rely on them. The Center provides
medications and resources for 20 different diseases, including hemophilia,
rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Hepatitis C.
About Medco Health
Medco Health Solutions, Inc., a leading pharmacy benefit manager with the
nation's largest mail order pharmacy operations, assists its customers to
moderate the cost and enhance the quality of prescription drug benefits
provided to members nationwide. Its customers include private and public-
sector employers and healthcare organizations. Medco Health is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MHS. On the Net:
http://www.medcohealth.com.
About JCAHO
Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care
provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and
related services that support performance improvement in health care
organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 16,000
health care organizations and programs in the United States, including 8,000
hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 8,000 other health care
organizations that provide long-term care, assisted living, behavioral health
care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also
accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care
entities. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is
the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in
health care.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve
risks and uncertainties. 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
disclosure regarding Medco Health in our registration statements on Form 10
(SEC File No. 1-31312) and Form S-1 (SEC File No. 333-86404) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks and uncertainties
facing our business described therein.
SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.medcohealth.com
CONTACT:
Ann Smith, Medco Health Solutions,
+1-201-269-5984, Ann_Smith@medcohealth.com; or Kevin Lamb or
Janet Schiller, Coyne Public Relations, +1-973-316-1665, for
Medco Health Solutions
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