Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative Honored for Leadership in Health Information Technology

DETROIT, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative (SEMI) was presented with the 2010 Health Information Technology (HIT) Innovation Leadership Award at the first annual Michigan HIT Leadership and Innovation Awards reception. SEMI received this honor for its dedication to driving the adoption and use of the electronic prescribing technology in Michigan.

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The award was instituted by the Michigan HIT Commission to acknowledge and promote the use of technology in Michigan's health care system. The goal of the 2010 HIT Innovation Awards is to raise awareness of HIT use and recognize the professionals, organizations and facilities that have advocated or supported the advancement of HIT and Health Information Exchange (HIE) within the state.

"We are very pleased to be recognized for the program's leadership on a regional level, in addition to SEMI's existing national accolades of leading Michigan to become the third most active ePrescribing state in the country," said Rick Popp, Director, Employee Benefits, Ford Motor Company. "Since the program's inception in 2005, SEMI has been dedicated to improving pharmacy care for patients in Michigan, as well as helping to reduce costs for physician practices, employers and consumers. This award validates SEMI's leadership and the long-term investment the partners have made to encourage the use of health information technology in physician practices."

SEMI was launched in 2005 to promote ePrescribing among physicians in Southeast Michigan. It consists of a coalition including General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Group LLC, the United Auto Workers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan, Henry Ford Medical Group, Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and CVS Caremark Corporation.

Through December 31, 2009, nearly 5,000 physicians had enrolled in SEMI.  Over that time period, these prescribers have generated more than 18.2 million electronic prescriptions. An analysis of 12.4 million prescriptions written by SEMI physicians since the program began found the following:

• A severe or moderate drug-to-drug alert was sent to physicians for more than 3.5 million prescriptions (or 28 percent), resulting in nearly 1 million (or 33 percent) of those prescriptions being changed or canceled by the prescribing doctor;
• Physicians received nearly 334,000 medication allergy alerts
• Nearly 1.5 million lists of dispensed prescription histories were downloaded by physicians
• When a formulary alert was presented, 33 percent of the time the physician changed the prescription to comply with formulary requirements.

Physicians interested in joining SEMI may call 1-800-722-8979 for more information.

About SEMI

Launched in February 2005, the Southeast Michigan e-prescribing Initiative is one of the largest, employer-driven ePrescribing efforts in the United States. Its primary objectives are to boost adoption and use of ePrescribing, and measure the impact of ePrescribing technology on improving patient safety and reducing prescription drug costs.

About GM

General Motors, one of the world's largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908.  With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 205,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 157 countries.  GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands:  Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, FAW, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling.  GM's largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy.  GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.  General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation.  More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

About Ford

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 205,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

About Chrysler Group LLC

Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 from a global strategic alliance with Fiat Group, produces Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge and Mopar® brand vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler's culture of innovation and Fiat's complementary technology.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group LLC's product lineup features some of the world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300, Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Ram. Fiat will contribute world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-sized cars, allowing Chrysler Group LLC to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

Follow Chrysler news on: Chrysler Connect blog: http://blog.chryslergroupllc.com.

About HAP

Health Alliance Plan (hap.org) is a Michigan-based, nonprofit health plan that provides health coverage to 500,000 members. HAP is celebrating 50 years of partnering with physicians and hospitals, employers and community organizations to improve health care quality and enhance the health and well-being of the lives we touch. HAP offers PPO, HMO, Value and Medicare plans with award-winning preventive services, disease management and wellness programs. HAP members rated HAP "Highest in Member Satisfaction Among Commercial Health Plans in Michigan, Three Years in a Row" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Member Health Insurance Plan Study(SM). For more information on this ranking visit: www.hap.org/jdpower.

About Henry Ford Medical Group

The Henry Ford Medical Group is one of the nation's largest group practices, with 1,200 physicians and researchers in more than 40 specialties who staff Henry Ford Hospital and 29 Henry Ford medical centers in Southeast Michigan. It is part of Henry Ford Health System (www.henryford.com), one of the country's leading health care systems, that integrates primary and specialty care with research and education.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (www.bcbsm.com), a nonprofit organization, provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.4 million members residing in Michigan in addition to members of Michigan-headquartered groups who reside outside the state. The company offers a broad variety of plans including: Healthy Blue Outcomes and Community Blue PPOs; Blue Care Network HMO; BCN Healthy Blue Living; Flexible Blue plans compatible with health savings accounts; Medicare Advantage; Part D Prescription Drug plans, and MyBlue products in the under-age-65 individual market. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

About CVS Caremark

CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States. Through our integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care, we are uniquely positioned to provide greater access, to engage plan members in behaviors that improve their health and to lower overall health care costs for health plans, plan sponsors and their members. CVS Caremark is a market leader in mail order pharmacy, retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, and retail clinics, and is a leading provider of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. As one of the country's largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), we provide access to a network of more than 64,000 pharmacies, including approximately 7,000 CVS/pharmacy® stores that provide unparalleled service and capabilities. Our clinical expertise includes one of the industry's most comprehensive disease management programs. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the Company's Web site at http://info.cvscaremark.com.

About Medco

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the world's most advanced pharmacy® and its clinical research and innovations are part of Medco making medicine smarter™ for approximately 65 million members.

With more than 20,000 employees dedicated to improving patient health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and private sector clients, and 2009 revenues of nearly $60 billion, Medco ranks 35th on the Fortune 500 list and is named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most trustworthy companies. 

For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.