Going beyond the first fill: Prime Therapeutics, NCODA collaboration enables improved patient outcomes through new oncology pharmacy accreditation

Accredited medically integrated pharmacies may become eligible to participate in Prime's IntegratedRx™ Oncology network

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Oct 19, 2021, 10:00 ET

EAGAN, Minn. and CAZENOVIA, N.Y., Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Therapeutics (Prime), a leading pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) serving more than 33 million members, will prefer for its IntegratedRx^™ - Oncology program the new specialized accreditation from NCODA, the leading nonprofit association for the patient-centered medically integrated oncology community. This first-in-market accreditation – which aligns with Prime's essential accreditation criteria – is a component of required credentialling for IntegratedRx - Oncology.

IntegratedRx - Oncology streamlines the treatment pathway for members and providers through its best-in-care integrated dispensing model. With IntegratedRx, members can receive their medicine through the oncology clinic's integrated pharmacy, where the provider and pharmacist are part of the same team, allowing for direct lines of communication. This end-to-end coordination across the treatment pathway helps improve adherence, shortens time to dispense, and creates a better patient outcome and provider experience from the first fill to the last fill.

NCODA recently announced its new Center of Excellence (CoE) Medically Integrated Pharmacy (MIP) Accreditation Program. The program, based on compliance with the ASCO/NCODA Patient-Centered Standards for Medically Integrated Dispensing, focuses on enhanced patient care and quality of services. NCODA is committed to empowering medically integrated pharmacies to deliver the highest level of performance that brings sustainability and value for all stakeholders. This program achieves the quadruple aim goals of improved clinician experience, better outcomes, lower costs, and improved patient experience. The key areas of focus include medication adherence, patient education and safety, cost avoidance and waste reduction, continuous quality improvement, financial assistance and patient satisfaction.

"Current accreditation standards don't take into account the advantages of integrated pharmacy dispensing, said Joseph Leach, M.D., chief medical officer for Prime and a practicing oncologist. "Prime prefers NCODA's MIP accreditation as it meets our quality requirements while reducing the burden associated with some broad accreditations, especially for oncology-specific pharmacies. It's a perfect fit for the IntegratedRx dispensing model."

Elizabeth Bell, director of medically integrated pharmacy accreditation for NCODA, said, "NCODA sees the IntegratedRx - Oncology program as a groundbreaking initiative. Allowing credentialed and accredited medically integrated oncology pharmacies to go beyond the first fill provides better patient outcomes and lower cost to the patient, practice, health plan and employer. Our patient-centered accreditation program was designed specifically for medically integrated oncology pharmacies and aligns perfectly with the IntegratedRx - Oncology program."

Leach and Bell will introduce the accreditation to the medically integrated oncology community Oct. 22 at the NCODA Fall Summit in Scottsdale, Ariz.

About Prime Therapeutics
Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime) helps people get the medicine they need to feel better and live well. Prime provides total medicine management solutions for health plans, employers, and government programs including Medicare and Medicaid. The company processes claims and offers clinical services for people with complex medical conditions. Prime serves more than 33 million people. It is collectively owned by 19 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those plans. For more information visit www.primetherapeutics.com or follow @Prime_PBM on Twitter.

About NCODA
NCODA, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. Our Mission is to empower the medically integrated oncology team to deliver positive, patient-centered outcomes by providing leadership, expertise, quality standards and best practices. For more information about NCODA's Executive Council and general updates, visit www.ncoda.org .

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SOURCE Prime Therapeutics LLC