Magellan Rx Specialty Pharmacy Helps More Patients Achieve Adherence Goals through MRx Cares Clinical Coaching Program

Business Wire

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Magellan Rx Management, the pharmacy benefit management (PBM) division of Magellan Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGLN), today announced superior outcomes for members receiving specialty medications through MRx Specialty Pharmacy. Compared to benchmarks, members who utilize MRx Specialty Pharmacy were significantly more likely to reach and maintain adherence goals of 85 percent or greater – measured by proportion of days covered (PDC) - across all disease states.

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Source: 2019 Magellan Rx internal data

A key component to the success of MRx Specialty Pharmacy is its MRx Cares program, a one-on-one clinical coaching program that provides expert care for those managing complex specialty conditions. In a recent survey, 97 percent of members reported that the MRx Cares program was able to improve the way they manage their medication, and results show an overall satisfaction rate of 99 percent, citing health coach professionalism, knowledge, and supportiveness as key factors.

Improving health through engagement, motivational interviewing, and targeted education

While medication adherence is important for all patients, the impact of non-adherence on a specialty patient can be magnified due to the costs and complexities of treatment, especially when accompanied by another chronic condition. Non-adherence to essential medications is a frequent cause of preventable hospitalizations and patient illness, with estimated costs to the U.S. healthcare system of greater than $300 billion annually.²

In addition to the superior care that members receive when they fill their specialty medication with MRx Specialty Pharmacy, members also have the opportunity to engage with the MRx Cares program as part of MRx Specialty Pharmacy’s services. This program leverages cutting-edge technology and the company’s behavioral health expertise to improve clinical outcomes for members. Nurses are provided with intensive training in Motivational Interviewing-based health coaching (MIHC) techniques that are designed to help overcome emotional barriers by enhancing member understanding of their condition and improving adherence, uncovering the internal motivation needed to positively change behavior.

Each year, specially-trained nurses complete thousands of targeted clinical consultations aimed at helping patients better manage complex and high-cost specialty diseases. Patients offered these consultations demonstrated higher adherence rates across specialty diseases such as multiple sclerosis, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, oncology, and hepatitis C. Better adherence rates have been associated with improved disease control, a reduction in negative health outcomes, overall cost avoidance, and an improvement in total healthcare costs.

“We are energized by the results we’ve seen with MRx Specialty Pharmacy and its ability to provide members with the support they need to stay adherent and, ultimately, experience better health outcomes,” said Haita Makanji, vice president of clinical strategy and innovation, Magellan Rx Management. “In addition, members who participate in the MRx Cares program continue to gain access to our Motivational Interviewing-based interventions and digital tools, like text messaging and video streaming. We look forward to expanding to other disease states such as organ transplant, which was introduced earlier this year.”

Accredited by URAC and ACHC, MRx Specialty Pharmacy leverages a highly sophisticated, integrated drug distribution system, enhanced by a large array of limited distribution drugs available across all disease states, to help members manage their complex conditions and improve overall quality of life. Through a high-touch, high-tech clinical model that utilizes on-demand educational videos, patient texting capabilities, and video calls with dedicated pharmacists and nursing support, MRx Specialty Pharmacy drives better adherence and optimizes patient outcomes through programs such as MRx Cares.

To learn more about MRx Specialty Pharmacy’s one-on-one clinical coaching program, MRx Cares, watch this 14-minute webinar.

Internal data from MRx PBM claims, 2019.
PCMA. PBM Specialty Pharmacies Improve Patient Outcomes and Reduce Costs. Accessed 9 May 2019.

About Magellan Rx Management: Magellan Rx Management, a division of Magellan Health, Inc., is a full-service, next-generation pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) that helps our customers and members solve complex pharmacy challenges by connecting them to the people, technology, and information they need to make smarter healthcare decisions. As experts in managing specialty spend both on the prescription and medical benefit, we are energized by discovering new and better ways to deliver solutions in today’s complex and rapidly-evolving healthcare environment, leading people to live healthier, more vibrant lives.

About Magellan Health: Magellan Health, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is a leader in managing the fastest growing, most complex areas of health, including special populations, complete pharmacy benefits and other specialty areas of healthcare. Magellan supports innovative ways of accessing better health through technology, while remaining focused on the critical personal relationships that are necessary to achieve a healthy, vibrant life. Magellan's customers include health plans and other managed care organizations, employers, labor unions, various military and governmental agencies and third-party administrators. For more information, visit MagellanHealth.com.

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