Optum Rx Receives Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s Excellence Award for Opioid Risk Management

• Program uses comprehensive approach to reduce inappropriate prescribing, dispensing and consumption of prescription opioids
• Results show significant improvements in health outcomes for patients and clients

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – (March 5, 2019) –Optum Rx has received the 2019 Excellence Award for Opioid Management Strategies from the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute. The award recognizes Optum Rx for significantly reducing excessive prescribing, dispensing and consumption of prescription opioids – while delivering quality care – through its Opioid Risk Management program, a comprehensive initiative addressing the opioid epidemic.

Since the program’s launch in July 2017, Optum Rx has successfully helped clients and patients balance the need for these powerful medications with the risk of abuse and misuse.

• Reducing the opioid supply: Clients who adopted short-acting opioid utilization management criteria experienced a 31 percent decrease in opioid prescription volume and a 42 percent decrease in the total morphine milligram equivalent (MME) exposure among patients receiving opioid prescriptions.
• Decreasing progression from acute to chronic use: Clients who adopted first-fill dose and duration limits for patients not receiving opioids on a daily basis showed a 50 percent lower likelihood of these patients progressing from short-term acute use to longer-term chronic opioid use after the first fill.
• Improving clinical best practices: In line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended best practices for prescribers, 96 percent of opioid prescriptions among Optum customers who adopted the program were in full alignment with dosage and duration guidelines, vs. 55 percent national average.

“Using advanced data analytics and evidence-based clinical strategies, we are mitigating opioid misuse and abuse before it starts, while supporting people who may be battling dependency and addiction issues, as well as those in recovery,” said David Calabrese, chief pharmacy officer at Optum Rx. “We are honored to be recognized by PBMI for the positive impact we are having on the patients and clients we serve.”

The Optum Rx Opioid Risk Management program extends beyond what traditional, stand-alone pharmacy benefit organizations can address by targeting five key factors contributing to this complex health care crisis, including:

• Prevention and education: Educating all stakeholders regarding risks, proper dosing/duration, storage, safer treatment alternatives and proper disposal.
• Minimizing early exposure: Limiting opioid dose and duration of therapy at first fill.
• Reducing inappropriate supply: Applying protocols to reduce excessive dosing, limit unnecessary extensions, mitigate abuse and decrease exposure to harmful drug combinations.
• Reducing inappropriate supply: Applying protocols to reduce excessive dosing, limit unnecessary extensions, mitigate abuse and decrease exposure to harmful drug combinations.
• Supporting chronic populations and recovery: Guiding patients with current or previous overdose experience/dependence issues/opioid use disorder and providing advanced patient monitoring, support and relapse prevention.

“Optum Rx’s Opioid Risk Management program stands apart because of its dual focus on reducing both the consumption and prescription of opioids, enabling the company to achieve unparalleled results on both fronts,” said Jane Lutz, executive director of PBMI. “Knowing that Optum Rx is continually updating the program to advance positive results for its members, we look forward to the work that is to come.”

Optum Rx is continuing to expand its efforts to curb the rise of opioid abuse through a variety of new components recently launched and in development, including:

• More aggressive first-fill dose and duration limits (3 days; 50mg/day) for children and young adults;
• Decreased opioid dispensing through Optum Rx Home Delivery Pharmacy to a maximum of 30-day supply only, which helps reduce excess supply and supports safe and appropriate opioid use; and
• Decreased opioid dispensing through Optum Rx Home Delivery Pharmacy to a maximum of 30-day supply only, which helps reduce excess supply and supports safe and appropriate opioid use; and

For more information on Optum Rx’s Opioid Risk Management program, visit our resource page.

About Optum RX
Optum Rx is a pharmacy care services company helping clients and more than 65 million members achieve better health outcomes and lower overall costs through innovative prescription drug benefit services, including network claims processing, clinical programs, formulary management and specialty pharmacy care. Through expertise, flexible technology and a network of over 67,000 community pharmacies and state-of-the-art home delivery pharmacies, Optum Rx is putting patients at the center of the pharmacy experience and making health care more connected and less fragmented — ensuring patients get the right medication at the right time at the best cost. Optum Rx is part of Optum®, a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to making the health system work better for everyone. Optum is part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). For more information, visit optum.com/optumrx or follow @OptumRx on Twitter.

About PBMI
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) is the nation’s leading provider of research and education that informs, advises, and influences the industry on topics related to drug cost management. PBMI offers research, continuing education, and web resources to help all critical stakeholders work better together to optimize the overall value of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Statham
Optum
Tel: (952) 205-7747
jennifer.statham@optum.com