Catamaran and Health New England Partnership Reduces Same-Cause Hospital Readmissions by More Than 70 Percent

One-year program results demonstrate the importance of transitional medication therapy management

SCHAUMBURG, IL and SPRINGFIELD, MA, June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Catamaran Corp. (NASDAQ: CTRX, TSX: CCT), a leading provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services and technology, and Health New England, Inc. (HNE), a health maintenance organization in Massachusetts, recently announced one-year results from Catamaran's Hospital Transition Program, which dramatically reduced HNE's hospital readmission rates and increased medication adherence.   

Prior to implementing Catamaran's Hospital Transition Program, HNE evaluated its commercial members that were re-admitted to a hospital within 30 days of discharge and found that 30 percent of those patients were taking more than six chronic medications simultaneously. This finding made implementing a program that promoted medication adherence critically important to helping these members stay out of the hospital.

HNE and Catamaran collaborated on a program that enhanced data sharing and communication between the health plan, hospital and PBM, and enabled a more diligent and comprehensive level of education, monitoring and intervention where appropriate with patients once released to the ambulatory setting. One year after implementing the program, 30-day same-cause readmissions in the intervention group were more than 70 percent below that of an equally-matched control group, while all-cause readmissions decreased by more than 50 percent.  Additionally, 44 percent of the program's intervention calls to patients falling out of appropriate adherence (more than two days late refilling a prescription) resulted in a member medication refill within seven days.

"After examining readmission rates and the number of potentially avoidable readmissions due to medication discrepancies, we began brainstorming innovative ways to utilize technology and the expertise of pharmacists to really make a difference here," said Gary Tereso, Director of Pharmacy, Health New England. "By implementing a concentrated program that provided a full reconciliation of medications for patients post-discharge, as well as patient counseling and monitoring, we improved health outcomes and quality of life for our members."

Nationwide research has shown that 20 percent of readmissions within one year are due to an adverse drug event1 and that 70 percent of patients have at least one actual or potential unintentional medication discrepancy upon discharge2. Elderly patients who experience at least one medication discrepancy post-discharge are two times as likely to be readmitted within 30 days3.

"The results of our study with HNE over the last year demonstrate the value of payer and PBM collaboration. Working together, we reduced medication discrepancies, improved adherence and ultimately, reduced readmissions," said David Calabrese, MHP, B.S. Pharm, VP and Chief Pharmacy Officer, Catamaran. "Today's changing market dynamics require PBMs to embrace a more holistic, yet patient-centric approach in the delivery of clinical programs and services, and Catamaran is proud to offer meaningful partnerships like this to our clients."

Importantly, these outcomes improve members' quality of life and drive meaningful cost savings for the health system, including oftentimes for members themselves. Catamaran and HNE continue to partner and are evaluating expansion of the program into further areas of care. Additionally, the two companies are exploring a program enhancement that would provide medication reconciliation for patients upon admission to the hospital.

Catamaran's Hospital Transition Program provides medication therapy management and medication adherence support to members discharged from the hospital with one of seven medical conditions associated with the highest risk for hospital readmission -- heart failure, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, COPD, asthma, pulmonary embolism and general depression. Results from Catamaran and HNE's one-year study were recently featured in Catamaran's 2015 Informed Trends™ report and were presented at the 20th Annual Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) Drug Benefit Conference.

About CatamaranCatamaran, the industry's fastest-growing pharmacy benefits manager, helps organizations and the communities they serve take control of prescription drug costs. Managing more than 400 million prescriptions each year on behalf of 35 million members, our flexible, holistic solutions improve patient care and empower individuals to take charge of their health. Processing one in every five prescription claims in the U.S., Catamaran's skill and scale deliver compelling financial results and sustainable improvement in the overall health of members. Catamaran is headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., with multiple locations in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit CatamaranRx.com, and for industry news and information follow Catamaran on Twitter, @CatamaranCorp.

About Health New England Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, Health New England is a non-profit health insurance carrier serving more than 190,000 members. Health New England offers employer groups and individuals various coverage options in the commercial, Medicaid and Medicare markets. Visit www.healthnewengland.com for more information.

For further information contact:

Catamaran Media:Lyndsey SlawkowskiZeno GroupTel: (312) 396-9727[email protected]

Catamaran Investors:Tony PerkinsCatamaranTel: (312) 261-7805[email protected]

Health New England Media:Elaine MannHealth New England(413) 233-3176[email protected]

SOURCE Catamaran