OptumRx, a leading pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization and part of health services leader Optum, announced that its My Medication Reminders program was awarded Platinum Honors for Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection from URAC.

The honor was announced during the 2012 URAC Quality Summit and Awards Program in San Francisco. This award recognizes achievements of organizations that are effectively advancing the role of consumers as active participants in health care through consumer decision-making. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization.

OptumRx’s My Medication Reminders is a text messaging adherence program that enables members to opt into any combination of reminder choices via their cellular phone, including: refills, renewals, prescription transfers, orders shipped, general daily medication reminders and prescription-specific dosage reminders. Text message reminders can be set for active prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter medications, and consumers specify how often they wish to receive the reminders.

“My Medication Reminders enables patients to use simple technology to help them adhere to their medications, maximize their health care treatment and maintain their health,” said Brian Solow, M.D., FAAFP, OptumRx chief medical officer.

Adherence results for My Medication Reminders were featured in a study published in the May issue of Clinical Therapeutics, showing that patients who participate in a text message prescription reminder program have significantly higher adherence (91 percent) to chronic oral medications than those in a control group (82 percent). Medication adherence is defined as the extent to which patients take their medications as instructed by a physician.

Entries were judged by a distinguished panel of independent reviewers including recognized experts in program evaluation, care coordination, health information technology, employer and purchaser decision-making, and patient safety.

Past recognition from URAC awarded to OptumRx:

• 2011, 2012 – Mail Service Pharmacy accreditation.
• 2010 – Platinum Award, URAC Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection, “Multiple Sclerosis Disease Therapy Management Program.”
• 2010 – HealthCare Stars! Awards Consumer Protection category, winner Frank Whitchurch, R.Ph., OptumRx Pharmacist in Charge.
• 2009 – Silver Award, URAC Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection, “Drug Interaction Alert Program.”
• 2008 – Dual accreditations in Mail Service and Specialty Pharmacy.
• 2008 – Silver Award, URAC Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection, “Geriatric RxMonitor Program.”
• 2007, 2010 – URAC accreditation for Pharmacy Benefits Management and Disease Therapy Management programs.

About URAC
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

About OptumRx
OptumRx is part of Optum, a leading information and technology-enabled health services company dedicated to making the health system work better for everyone. OptumRx is an innovative pharmacy benefit management organization managing the prescription drug benefits of commercial, Medicare and other governmental health plans, as well as those of employers and unions through a national network of 64,000 community pharmacies and state-of-the-art mail service pharmacies in California and Kansas, both of which have earned the prestigious Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS^®) accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^®. Visit www.optum.com for more information.

About Optum
Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to making the health system work better for everyone. Optum is comprised of three companies – OptumHealth, OptumInsight and OptumRx – representing more than 30,000 employees worldwide who collaborate to deliver intelligent solutions that modernize the health system, improve overall population health and support Sustainable Health Communities. Optum serves the broad health care marketplace, including care providers, plan sponsors, government agencies, life sciences companies and consumers.