CVS Caremark study finds need for improvements in healthcare access, costs

NEW YORK CVS Caremark’s 2009 “Health IQ” study is yet another indicator coming from the private sector that health reform cannot wait.

The findings come on the heels of another sign: PhRMA’s resurrection of the Harry and Louise characters, the middle class couple who helped to defeat the Clinton healthcare reform proposal, in a new multi-million dollar ad campaign developed in collaboration with Families USA, the national organization for healthcare consumers. This time, however, Harry and Louise are in support of healthcare reform.

The reality is that the more the private sector leads the way on this, the more likely that reform will work for them, as well as the rest of America.

For instance, CVS’ MinuteClinic could play a major role in closing the gap on patient access. In addition, CVS’ Proactive Pharmacy Care program, as well as its new ReadyFill program, could help improve medication adherence ‹ another major problem in the U.S. healthcare system. Proactive Pharmacy Care is focused on helping consumers understand the benefits of taking their medication consistently and helps them understand ways to reduce costs. It is estimated that non-adherence costs the United States $177 billion a year.

The bottom line is that there is a sense that if it and other key stakeholders step up now and communicate how they can be a part of the solution — and the value in that — they just might be in the end. It’s the difference between driving health reform and getting run over by health reform. Either way, you get a sense that the key stakeholders know the train is rolling and they would rather drive the engine then lay on the tracks.