Express Scripts Blog

Make the Most of Your Medication Dollar

Curt Furberg, M.D. (Guest) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:57:03 +0000

When it comes to shopping, most consumers will want to know the price of a product and will often look for the best deal before making a purchase. That’s not always the case when buying prescription drugs, which means many people are paying more than they should for their medications. One sure way to save ...

Impact of Wealth on Rx Utilization

Lab Staff — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:53:53 +0000

With apologies to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the very rich are different when it comes to prescription drugs. That’s according to a recent study by Express Scripts that looked at 6 million people whose prescription-drug benefits were covered by commercial health insurance from 2010 to 2012. The study, presented recently at the annual meeting of the ...

Decision Support for Oncology Treatment

Glen Stettin, MD — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:47:35 +0000

Cancer treatment continues to become more complex and expensive. As part of our focus on enabling better decisions that lead to healthier outcomes while reducing waste, we are launching an oncology decision support module with eviti, Inc., a health information technology company. Decision-Making Support Oncologists will now be able to access eviti’s clinical library of ...

Ask the Pharmacist: Emergency Preparedness

Paul Reyes — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:09:34 +0000

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be active. Remembering the recent destruction of Hurricane Sandy and the Oklahoma tornadoes, it’s important to review your emergency preparedness plans. While people make their plans, they sometimes forget about their prescription medications. Lost or damaged medication can be a life-threatening situation for storm victims. ...

Behind the Slowdown in Prescription-Drug Use

Sharon Frazee — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:36:56 +0000

Use of prescription drugs has leveled off in recent years among patients covered by private health insurance. Healthcare experts might have expected a continuation of the steady increases prior to 2007, especially in light of the aging U.S. population, the rising prevalence of obesity and related conditions, more choices in lower-cost generic medications and the ...

Bridging Gaps for Coordinated Cancer Care

Lab Staff — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:48:58 +0000

The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) annual meeting was themed Building Bridges to Conquer Cancer. At Express Scripts, this concept comes to life as we bridge cancer-care gaps every day at our Oncology Therapeutic Resource Center (TRC). Patient-Centric Care According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the number of cancer cases ...

Actionable Data Delivered to Physicians

Lab Staff — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:15:08 +0000

International Data Group’s CIO Magazine has recognized Express Scripts for operational and strategic excellence in information technology, naming the company to its 26th Annual CIO 100 list. For the past 26 years, the CIO 100 list has identified and honored 100 organizations that have distinguished themselves by creating business value through the effective and innovative use of ...

Reviewing Oncology Rx Stats Before ASCO ’13

Lab Staff — Fri, 31 May 2013 14:22:25 +0000

Over the next few days, researchers, clinicians and many others will gather at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. Significant progress has been made in the fight against cancer in recent years. More than 1 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, but deaths from the disease are down 20% ...

Protect the Most Vulnerable From Rx Abuse

Michael Testa — Thu, 30 May 2013 02:04:36 +0000

As a member of the Fraud, Waste & Abuse Services team at Express Scripts, I am on the front lines of fighting prescription-drug fraud and abuse. After years of working on cases, sometimes they meld together. But then there are the ones that stand out. For me, those are the cases that involve the most ...

Geography of ADD Treatment Is Dynamic

Sharon Frazee — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:09:04 +0000

The South still leads the nation in terms of percentages of people diagnosed and people treated for attention deficit disorders, but the Northeast has the highest growth rate for diagnosis, treatment and total associated costs. These are the findings of Express Scripts research into three years of data related to claims for drugs treating ADD ...