Premera Blue Cross, Express Scripts renew pharmacy benefit agreement

Premera Blue Cross and Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) today announced an early renewal of the companies' long-standing pharmacy benefit agreement. The partnership, which began in 1999, will now extend through at least 2019.

After evaluating pharmacy benefit manager capabilities during a competitive review and selection process, Premera concluded that Express Scripts continues to offer the best health plan integration and deliver the most overall value for Premera's clients and members.

"Express Scripts has a proven track record of fighting for fair drug pricing and working side-by-side with Premera to make medicine more affordable and accessible for our members," said John Espinola, MD, Executive Vice President of Health Care Services at Premera. "By extending this partnership, Premera is well positioned to continue to offer our customers affordable, high quality access to medicines for years to come."

The two organizations have collaborated to implement novel, data-driven solutions to improve medication adherence, user experience and overall health outcomes for Premera's members, including:

• RationalMed®, an evidence-based safety program that integrates and evaluates medical, pharmacy and lab data to close potential gaps in care
• ScreenRx®, a predictive analytics program that identifies members who are likely to stop taking their medications and intervenes with adherence nudges tailored to help each unique patient stay on track
• First Call Resolution, the combination of technology, people and processes to more quickly and satisfactorily respond to member inquiries and enhance the overall experience of being a Premera member
• A cross-platform mobile app, which enables Premera members to keep track of their medications, order prescriptions, view lower-cost options, set reminders and get personalized safety alerts

"Express Scripts appreciates the level of trust Premera continues to invest in our organization," said Tim Wentworth, President of Express Scripts. "As this partnership launches into its third decade, our two companies remain relentlessly focused on improving healthcare."