NaviNet takes pharmacy benefits management mobile

Pharmacy benefits software company NaviNet may be taking PBM to the next level with its new Mobile Connect platform.

It's true that CVS, Medco and other online pharmacy companies already have a host of proprietary portals and mobile apps, allowing e-prescribing, medications management and the like. What sets Mobile Connect apart is that the platform is multi-channel, and links pharmacies, health plans, physicians and patients through the same portal, according to analysis at eWEEK.

The system can alert physicians when a patient's health plan requires prior authorization for a certain drug, and enable the MD to initiate the authorization process from a mobile device, officials say. The physician then can send the online authorization form to his office staffs' desktops for completion.

Physicians can access health plan formularies and other benefits information during the office visit, to choose the most relevant and cost-effective option, NaviNet officials say. The platform also allows for e-prescribing and meds list tracking via smartphone.

The system also can send mobile messages to physicians when drugs aren't being purchased or renewed properly, indicating a breakdown in medication adherence, company officials say.

"Mobile devices provide a new channel for PBMs to share relevant, timely and actionable medication information with patients and their doctors, as well as automate the prior authorization process, which improves care coordination, drug adherence and the healthcare delivery experience," S. Michael Ross, NaviNet's CMO, said in a press release.

The platform approach grew out of NaviNet's purchase of mobile health management firm Prematics last December, according to eWEEK's coverage. The goal: To build on Prematics' relationships with payers like Aetna, Blue Cross and Humana, and take things mobile, Scott Rybeck, NaviNet's business development vice president, tells eWEEK.

"We really needed a way to take that information off of the desktop and into the exam room," Ross told eWEEK.

To learn more:
- read NaviNet's press release
- check out eWEEk's coverage
- get more details on existing pharmacy apps