Prescription Solutions Recognized for Online Pharmacy Safety and Quality

Prestigious VIPPS® Reaccreditation Certifies Pharmacy Compliance With State and Federal Laws and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s Rigorous Criteria.

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefits management (PBM) organization and an Optum company, again has earned the prestigious Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS®) reaccreditation for its pharmacies in Carlsbad, California, and Overland Park, Kansas, from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).

The VIPPS accreditation program is a strong indicator of an Internet pharmacy’s compliance with state and federal laws and regulations and NABP's criteria. The VIPPS Seal demonstrates that Prescription Solutions is properly licensed and has met a precise criteria review that considers medication safety, patient confidentiality, security of prescriptions, a quality assurance program and patient-pharmacist consultation.

”More and more of our members are enjoying the convenience, safety and cost savings of ordering their medications online as well as by mail and phone,” said Ed Feaver, president of Prescription Solutions and himself a licensed pharmacist. “When customers see the VIPPS® click-to-verify logo on our site, they know we are providing a high level of security and quality for their online purchases and are committed to their health and safety.”

VIPPS accreditation is a rigorous and thorough process. A pharmacy must first comply with the licensing and inspection requirements of its home state and in each state in which it dispenses medications. Then the pharmacy undergoes a comprehensive evaluation of its operations to ensure that it meets the VIPPS standards for quality, safety and confidentiality.

Prescription Solutions’ mail service pharmacies subject the drugs they dispense – whether ordered online or via mail or telephone – to a series of safety, accuracy, timely delivery and other quality control checks. Pharmacists are also available 24/7 for patient consultations. As an added safety precaution, these pharmacists can also review the patient’s medication history to look for potential adverse drug reactions and then counsel patients about how to avoid them.

The number of Americans ordering drugs online is growing rapidly. However, ordering drugs from online sites can be dangerous. There are thousands of sites pretending to be legitimate online pharmacies. To date, NABP has reviewed nearly 7,000 online sites – only four percent of those appear to be in compliance with pharmacy laws and practice standards.

Consumers seeking lower prices may fall victim to rogue sites where drugs may be counterfeit or of poor quality. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises consumers to use great care when purchasing prescription drugs online. The FDA also specifically cited the VIPPS role in certifying websites that meet industry standards so that consumers can minimize the risks of getting inferior quality drugs from disreputable sources. The FDA continues to support the VIPPS program as a vehicle for protecting public health.1

“The convenience of online prescription ordering is an important component of Prescription Solutions total customer service experience,” said Feaver. For members who do not want to order prescriptions by mail or online, or who need medications quickly for treating illnesses that are episodic instead of chronic, Prescription Solutions also offers a network of more than 64,000 retail pharmacies throughout the United States.

About the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy®
NABP is the independent, international, and impartial association that assists its member boards and jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health. For more information visit their website at www.nabp.net.

About Prescription Solutions
Prescription Solutions is an innovative pharmacy benefit management company managing the prescription drug benefit of commercial, Medicare and other governmental health plans, as well as those of employers and unions. A UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, Prescription Solutions serves customers through a national network of 64,000 community pharmacies and state-of-the-art mail service pharmacies in Carlsbad, Calif., and Overland Park, Kan., both of which have earned the prestigious Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS®) accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®). Prescription Solutions also won a Platinum Award for URAC’s Best Practices for Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards for the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Therapy Management Program (2010); and two Silver Awards: the Drug Interaction Alert Program (2009) and Geriatric RxMonitor Program (2008), Additional information can be found at www.prescriptionsolutions.com.

About Optum
Optum is an information and technology-enabled health services business platform serving the broad health care marketplace, including care providers, plan sponsors, life sciences companies and consumers. Its business units – OptumInsight, OptumHealth and OptumRx – employ more than 30,000 people worldwide.

1www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/BuyingMedicinesOvertheInternet



CONTACT:

Prescription Solutions
David Himmel, 714-226-3772
[email protected]

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