Pharmacy benefits company RxBenefits and chronic disease and medication management company Tria Health have formed a new partnership to improve diabetes care and reduce healthcare costs for the disease through a proactive approach.
Working together, the two companies created the Optimize MyCare diabetes support program, for which both RxBenefits and Tria Health review pharmacy claims for members with diabetes, metabolic syndrome and comorbidities.
These members receive messages by mail, email and phone to schedule a phone appointment with a Tria Health pharmacist to find out why members are not meeting their goals of care. Tria, based in Overland Park, Kansas, then works with members to develop a customized care plan for their health, which is shared with the member’s physician. The program offers two incentive options to encourage participation: a $50 virtual Tria gift card shared online or a co-pay purchase. Copay purchases include $0 off generics and $25 off branded diabetes medications.
“Ultimately, with our shared values and commitment to helping clients better manage high cost conditions that drive up the cost of their programs, this partnership is designed to further improve members’ health literacy and accountability,” said U.S.-based RxBenefits CEO Officer Wendy Barnes said in Birmingham, Alabama.
Barnes said most digital diabetes management programs are more based on meter and response, whereas this approach is proactive, reaching members directly and connecting them with licensed pharmacists.
“By focusing on medication management, health literacy and lifestyle/behaviours that support good diabetes management, we are going beyond what other diabetes programs on the market are currently able to do,” said Barnes.
Another digital diabetes program includes Omada Health.its program Body weight and hemoglobin A1c levels were significantly lower, according to data shared in 2020.
But Tria Health CEO Jessica Lea said the partnership with RxBenefits will provide results that competitors can’t match.
“We are delighted to partner with RxBenefits as the company focuses on delivering outcomes-driven pharmacy solutions through a high-touch service model, which is consistent with Tria Health’s approach. This partnership will further expand our presence in the mid-market Impact in the field of employers. We believe the products we develop for RxBenefits will produce results unmatched by other diabetes management programs on the market,” Lea said in an article Press Releases.
Barnes declined to provide financial information when asked how the two organizations would generate revenue through the partnership.
Barnes was more candid when it came to the partnership’s goals.
The goal of the collaboration is to improve medication adherence, health literacy, and reduce costs associated with poorly managed diabetes among self-funded employers, Barnes said. About one-third of Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime, and 25 percent of U.S. health care spending, or $327 billion a year, is related to diabetes care, Barnes said.
If the partnership is successful, it could be one of many efforts seeking to bend the cost curve. So far, Tria’s approach appears to be paying off.In 2021, Tria Health’s customers see an average 1.3 reduction in A1C, a 48% reduction in the care gap for diabetics, and an average saving of $2,255 per patient involved, according to the company website.
“Our mission at RxBenefits is to improve the lives of patients and lower the healthcare cost curve, which is why this partnership is so exciting for us,” said Barnes. “By working together, we are even more empowered. Optimize member health and better manage costs associated with poorly managed diabetes. “
Photo: Azman Jaka, Getty Images
