Pharmacy Value Story

With a lively, jazzy tune playing in the background, David hosts this presentation accompanied by visual aids. Those visuals appear in the form of on-screen text (generally indicated in bold below) and images. The images are 2D cutouts in 3D space, animating on and off as necessary, angling to accommodate text and flipping around to be replaced by new objects when the topic changes.

Host: Hi! It’s David, from Aetna, here to talk to you about Aetna’s Pharmacy Plan.

Interesting fact: year after year, pharmacy-related costs represent the single highest increase in health care spending.

[graph showing pharmacy costs aiming upward]

And specialty drugs? They’re growing at nearly three times the pharmaceutical trend. (IMS Health data)

[another line is added to the graph; it’s labeled specialty drugs, and increases at a steeper angle]

The good news is, by creating more touch-points to doctors, pharmacists and patients...

[doctor, pharmacist, and patient appear]

and by providing better and faster access to information, Aetna can deliver better outcomes. Meaning you can spend your money wisely and employees can be happier and healthier.

But…you’ve heard this before, right?

[label: “Same old story” appears on the art, text still on screen]

Hmm…I need a volunteer.

[We meet Kate, who slides on screen and whose story is accompanied by animation]

Ah! Thanks, Kate! So, Kate has multiple sclerosis. The medications her doctor prescribed are filled by Aetna Specialty Pharmacy, which reviews Kate’s medical data to make sure our clinicians have all the info they need. There seem to be some lab tests missing, so our system quickly and automatically reaches out for them…trimming hours or days off the typical process of submitting requests and awaiting replies and all that.

When our clinician checks in with Kate, we learn she’s avoiding her meds because of some side effects.  Aetna follows-up with Kate’s doctor, who’s like “Yikes! Thanks for the heads up!” and prescribes a new drug right away—one that’s just as effective, but with fewer side effects.

Now, the Aetna Specialty Pharmacy clinician working with Kate also discovers she could benefit from additional emotional support. Kate’s all for it.. So a specialist with Aetna Behavioral Health helps Kate set some goals for coping with her disease. She works with Kate’s family, too, providing strategies than can help them be more involved in Kate’s treatment.

[Kate disappears]

So, it’s not just that Aetna has these terrific clinical programs and tools and counselors. Most health insurance companies do. The difference is Aetna works in real-time to gather and use data that EMPOWERS doctors and pharmacists to intervene quickly, and that makes it easy for them AND their patients to take ACTION.

How does that save you money?

[dollar sign appears with “savings”; text bolded below appears next to it and the savings grow]

Well, for starters poor adherence to prescriptions costs up to 300 billion dollars per year in the U.S. So we help you manage specialty drug costs by helping Kate stay on her meds, which means she stays healthier and stays out of the hospital. And that means she keeps coming to work and being productive. All of which adds up to real dollars your company isn’t losing.

Now, I won’t get into the details of our state-of-the-art data systems and leading-edge workflows that make what we do possible…

[“Integration” appears on screen with complicated tech diagrams…]

…and I won’t brag about our new relationship with CVS Caremark…

[CVS Caremark and Aetna logos]

…which gives us unparalleled reach and access to members and providers, creates huge efficiencies in administration and technology, and improves our buying and negotiating power to reduce your total costs…

No, the important thing to know is that Aetna is constantly innovating to find ways for technology to do the grunt work — so pharmacists and doctors can spend less time on their computers…

[“Innovation” on screen; pharmacists and doctors appear; computer screen appears]

 and more time with…Carl!

[Carl replaces computer]

When Carl’s not working as a financial planner or helping his teenage daughters with homework, he’s fly fishing.

[images of a financial spreadsheet, teen daughters, flies used for fishing]

Also? He’s trying to manage his newly diagnosed diabetes.

[glucose meter appears]

At his neighborhood CVS, Carl’s pharmacist counsels him on his options, tells him what to expect, and finds out whether he has any questions about managing his diabetes. She also mentions that his plan sponsor has a diabetes management program available. Aetna can monitor Carl’s progress in the program and make sure that if he’s having any problems, we can reach out to his doctor and get him back on track. 

[“Engagement” on screen]

Meanwhile, Aetna’s Rx Check system finds an A-rated generic alternative to Carl’s prescription. Rx Check notifies his doc, and lets him know how much Carl can save. That’s good for Carl, who could use the extra cash…

[daughters appear again, each holding a fishing pole]

But it’s also good for you. In one Aetna plan with 24,000 members, just because those members were contacted about switching to generics, the plan sponsor saved over 90,000 dollars each year. (Client program data, Sept. 2010)

Bottom line? With Aetna, you can save money on healthcare…while giving your employees more and better coverage.

Ask your broker or consultant if Aetna’s Pharmacy plan might be right for you.