Chronimed Selected To Provide Transplant Medication Management Program For Prudential Healthcare Members
Following transplantation, patients are placed on a strict and complicated drug regimen, which consist of immunosuppressive (anti-rejection) and ancillary medications. Medication costs for these patients are substantial, averaging $15,000 per patient for year one and $10,000 per patient for each subsequent year. Preventable healthcare costs due to non-compliance of medication regimens are currently estimated to be in excess of $100 million for transplant recipients in the U.S.
Prudential HealthCare is contracted with 55 centers through its Institutes of Quality รข program to provide transplant services to its members. Chronimed will work closely with these centers to implement the Life Management Program and provide members with the education and adherence tools they need to manage their medication regimens. Prudential HealthCare transplant members will automatically be enrolled in the Life Management Program free-of-charge.
Debbie Grinnell-Miller, director of Institutes of Quality at Prudential HealthCare, explains the value of the Chronimed Life Management Program, . We believe that overall healthcare costs can be lowered and medical loss ratios improved by empowering our members with the knowledge and tools needed to reduce their risk of rejection episodes, re-hospitalization, and re-transplantation.. Ms. Grinnell-Miller adds, . After thorough analysis of the transplant medication management programs available in the marketplace, we determined that the Chronimed Life Management Program provides the most comprehensive program for our members..
Henry Blissenbach, Pharm.D., Chronimed. s president and COO, commends Prudential HealthCare for implementing the Life Management Program, . By identifying transplant medication adherence as a priority, Prudential HealthCare has set the standard in the managed care industry. We have worked with Prudential HealthCare for more than four years to control costs and improve outcomes for use of injectable medications and are looking forward to working with them and their transplant members..
Chronimed Inc. is a leading integrated healthcare company specializing in specialty pharmacy services, diagnostic products, and disease management for people with chronic health conditions. The company develops, manufactures, markets and distributes pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostic products, and provides specialized patient management services nationwide for people with long-term chronic conditions such as organ transplants, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and diseases treated with injectable medications. Chronimed works directly with patients, providers, and payors to improve clinical and cost-of-care outcomes. Chronimed. s web site address is www.chronimed.com.
Prudential HealthCare, headquartered in Roseland, NJ, operates managed health care plans in more than 40 major metropolitan areas nationwide, serving approximately 6.6 million members.
As a cautionary note to investors, certain matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; the Company's ability to execute its service and product sales plans; changes in the status of managed care contracts; and the risks described from time to time in the Company's SEC reports.
March 13, 2000
Contacts:
Paul S. Dunn
Investor Relations
or
Maurice R. Taylor, II
Chairman and CEO
Chronimed Inc.
(612) 979-3600