WOONSOCKET, R.I., Oct. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), today introduced its new ScriptPath Prescription Schedule for retail pharmacy patients who manage multiple prescription medications. The ScriptPath Prescription Schedule features all of a patient's current CVS Pharmacy prescription information in one place including which medications the patient takes, when the patient should take them, and how much of each medication should be taken in each dose. Using easy to understand icons, the new schedule was designed to improve patient understanding and enhance patient safety by simplifying how patients take medications and how caregivers give them.
"Fifty percent of patients struggle with understanding how and when to take their prescription medications, and for those with complex prescription regimens it can be even more challenging," said Troyen Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health. "By providing them with a clear and concise dosing schedule, which incorporates all of their current CVS Pharmacy prescriptions and reduces the number of times a patient takes medication each day, we can help improve medication adherence and, ultimately, health outcomes."
The Prescription Schedule is the first offering in the company's ScriptPath prescription management system. Other tools, including a new prescription vial label, are expected to roll out in early 2018. The ScriptPath Prescription Schedule is the latest in a wide array of pharmacy care tools that CVS Pharmacy is offering patients to help with medication management and improve medication adherence. The schedule is generated by a robust scientific system, created by CVS Pharmacy, that automatically reviews all of a patient's current CVS Pharmacy prescription information and prescribers' instructions, and then, using clinical data, provides a schedule of the most effective times of day to take the medications.
Available in English and Spanish, the ScriptPath Prescription Schedule is available at all of CVS Pharmacy's more than 9,700 retail pharmacy locations nationwide, upon request. Because the Prescription Schedule will be most helpful to the more than nine million CVS Pharmacy patients who take more than five medications each day, those patients will be offered a consultation with the store pharmacist when they pick up their prescriptions. The pharmacist will review the Prescription Schedule and the information it provides.
"At CVS Health, we are committed to helping people on their path to better health. One of the main ways we can do that is to help our patients remain adherent to their medications," said Kevin Hourican, Executive Vice President, Pharmacy Services, CVS Pharmacy. "Patients who take their medications as prescribed have better health outcomes than those who do not. By providing our patients with the personalized information and guidance needed to manage their medications, and most importantly, making it easier to understand and follow prescribers' directions, we can help them remain adherent and better maintain their overall health."
Prescription information that is highlighted on the new ScriptPath Prescription Schedule includes:
- Personalized prescription information for the individual patient, including how much medication to take and when to take it
- Medications separated into sections for Routine, As Needed and Other medications
- Clear refill instructions for easy refills
- Notes section for further personalization and to facilitate face-to-face pharmacist counseling
The ScriptPath Prescription Schedule provides a dosing schedule that maximizes the effectiveness of medications and simplifies complex medication regimens, taking into account the individual patient's current CVS Pharmacy prescriptions.
CVS Health partnered with Deborah Adler, a designer known for her past work on Target's ClearRx prescription packaging system, to ensure all of the elements of the new ScriptPath prescription management system were easy for patients to read and to understand. Adler, the inventor and lead designer of the new ScriptPath system, worked with the CVS Health team to develop the easy-to-understand icons and an intuitive layout for each of the ScriptPath offerings.
"I am excited to have collaborated with CVS Health on its ScriptPath prescription management system," said Deborah Adler, Owner of Adler Design. "We are delivering a simpler, more effective way for people to take their medicine. Design matters in health care and this is a powerful example of how design can play a key role in changing behavior and improving health outcomes."
For more information on the ScriptPath prescription management system, including the Prescription Schedule, visit www.cvs.com/prescriptionschedule.
About CVS Pharmacy
CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), is America's leading retail pharmacy with 9,700 locations. It is the first national pharmacy to end the sale of tobacco and the first pharmacy in the nation to receive the Community Pharmacy accreditation from URAC, the leading health care accreditation organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. CVS Pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS Pharmacy and CVS Health is available at www.cvshealth.com.
Media Contact
Amy Lanctot
CVS Pharmacy
401-770-2931
Amy.Lanctot@CVSHealth.com
SOURCE CVS Pharmacy