PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- AmeriHealth Mercy/Select Health’s PerformRx announced today it was awarded a regional Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (“PDP”) contract for the State of South Carolina by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The contract becomes effective January 1, 2006. The contract expands PerformRx pharmacy benefits management (“PBM”) offerings into Medicare. PerformRx, a product of AmeriHealth Mercy, currently provides pharmacy benefit management services to nearly 1 million Medicaid beneficiaries in six states.
AmeriHealth Mercy’s PerformRx has met Medicare’s requirements for providing access to medically necessary drugs to Medicare beneficiaries. Prescription drug coverage will be available to everyone in Medicare, regardless of their income level or how they get their Medicare coverage. Extra assistance is available to those with limited incomes and resources. PerformRx will offer a PDP premium for beneficiaries of $24.57, $10 less than the South Carolina regional weighted average premium of $34.89.
In addition to serving South Carolina, PerformRx is the PBM for several other Medicare Advantage and Medicare PDPs, including Passport Advantage, a special needs plan serving dual eligible beneficiaries (the aged, blind and disabled who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare) in Kentucky; Keystone 65 Complete, a special needs plan serving dual eligibles in southeastern Pennsylvania; AmeriHealth 65, a special needs plan serving dual eligible beneficiaries in central Pennsylvania; and AmeriHealth Advantage, a PDP in 12 states and the District of Columbia.
“We are honored to be selected by CMS to provide affordable and accessible prescription drug coverage to South Carolina Medicare beneficiaries and serve as the PBM for other regional Medicare Advantage Plans and PDPs,” said Daniel J. Hilferty, President and CEO, AmeriHealth Mercy. “This is a natural extension of our mission. As an experienced provider of health benefits to dual eligible beneficiaries, AmeriHealth Mercy is pleased to be part of Medicare’s historic step toward coverage that will bring the best of modern medicine to Medicare beneficiaries.”
PerformRx, a product of AmeriHealth Mercy, provides Medicaid and Medicare Part D pharmacy benefits management services for members of Medicaid managed care organizations, state Medicaid plans, and Medicare Part D plans in nine states and the District of Columbia. Linking traditional medical management with pharmacy management, PerformRx works to meet financial objectives while improving the quality of health care for Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries.
Drawing on AmeriHealth Mercy’s more than 20 years of managing risk for high cost, high risk populations, and using the approach of linking traditional medical management with pharmacy management, PerformRx maintains an average annual pharmacy cost trend of 3-5% versus the national trend of 15% in the Government sector.
In addition to the PerformRx Medicare Part D expansion, AmeriHealth Mercy and its affiliates comprise the largest family of Medicaid managed care plans in the United States, touching the lives of more than 1.5 million members in eight states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, California, Arizona and Indiana.
AmeriHealth Mercy
CONTACT: Rick Buck, AmeriHealth Mercy, +1-215-863-5102
