CVS Caremark's Accordant Health Services Awarded Gold Standard Certification by the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Dec. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) today announced that Accordant Health Services has been awarded a Gold Standard certification by the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium (DMPC). This certification provides confirmation of Accordant's ability to measure and quantify health care outcomes related to the group's disease management programs for rare conditions using changes in inpatient event rates.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090226/NE75914LOGO)

"Accordant is one of only a few disease management providers that are willing to measure savings validly and are able to show event rate reduction as a result of their interventions," said Al Lewis, President of the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium. "In fact, Accordant's Gold Standard status is the Consortium's top ranking award, conferred only on those groups that are willing to measure outcomes using a valid methodology." 

The Massachusetts-based DMPC provides strategy and procurement services to support more than 100 health plans, employers and states. While there are many companies that claim to generate savings, only those companies that are able to show event reduction (or risk improvement for wellness programs) when measured accurately according to the DMPC's methodology of event rate measurement, or plausibility, are awarded the DMPC's Gold Standard and provided a Letter of Validation guaranteeing the validity of their savings figures. 

"At Accordant we are proud of the care management program we offer to support members with rare conditions and help payers improve efficiency and reduce costs," said Trip Hofer, President of Accordant. "We are pleased to have DMPC validate our methodology and award us Gold Standard certification through their fair, unbiased assessment of measurement methodologies."

About Accordant Health Services
Accordant Health Services, Inc., a CVS Caremark company based in Greensboro, N.C., proactively supports and empowers individuals with rare conditions (17 conditions which include multiple sclerosis, lupus, Parkinson's, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease) to improve their total health and manage their multiple, complex needs.  Accordant's Medical Advisory Board is comprised of national medical experts who participate in the development and continuous quality improvement of the company's programs. For more information about Accordant, visit www.accordant.com or call 1-800-948-2497.

About CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark is dedicated to helping people on their path to better health as the largest integrated pharmacy company in the United States. Through the company's more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores; its leading pharmacy benefit manager serving more than 60 million plan members; and its retail health clinic system, the largest in the nation with more than 750 MinuteClinic locations, it is a market leader in mail order, retail and specialty pharmacy, retail clinics, and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans.  As a pharmacy innovation company with an unmatched breadth of capabilities, CVS Caremark continually strives to improve health and lower costs by developing new approaches such as its unique Pharmacy Advisor program that helps people with chronic diseases such as diabetes obtain and stay on their medications.  Find more information about how CVS Caremark is reinventing pharmacy for better health at http://info.cvscaremark.com/newsroom

Media Contact:
Christine Cramer
CVS Caremark
(401) 770-3317
christine.cramer@cvscaremark.com

SOURCE CVS Caremark