Advancements in technology and a robust enterprise resiliency framework help CVS Health® to deliver support to patients, members and customers when it’s needed most — including during extreme weather events.
Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is at the heart of how we deliver this support. It turns large geographic data sets into easily digestible insights and user-friendly graphic visualizations, allowing us to make informed decisions quickly in urgent situations. Combined with data on weather, wildfires, seismic activity and other third-party information, this system becomes a powerful tool for identifying people and CVS Health facilities potentially impacted by adverse events.
One way that weather-related incidents can have a clinical impact is the potential for interrupting access to prescription medications. Over six out of ten adults in the U.S. take at least one prescription medication, and it is well-known that adherence to a medication plan is important to achieving the desired outcomes.
CVS Caremark® Mail Service Pharmacy and CVS Specialty® use GIS technology to ensure critical medications get where they need to on time — patients’ homes, providers’ offices, and our retail pharmacies — without weather interruptions. This is particularly important given that some medications, including many specialty medications, require refrigeration.
