Express Scripts is adding the next slate of solutions to its digital health formulary which will target needs such as women's health and musculoskeletal conditions.
The Evernorth Digital Health Formulary, recently rebranded under Cigna's newly-formed health services subsidiary Evernorth—is adding platforms that target five new conditions: women's health needs, tobacco cessation, muscle and joint pain, caregiver care and COVID-19 workplace support.
The formulary's goal is to assist employers and other plan sponsors in finding the digital health solutions that best fit their worker's needs, and which have been vetted by experts at Express Scripts for key concerns like effectiveness, value, user experience and security.
The new options join a crop of tools targeting diabetes, hypertension, mental health needs and asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.
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Mark Bini, chief patient experience officer at Express Scripts, said the options build on its digital formulary collection of 15 tools first unveiled late last year, targeting conditions where plan sponsors see both high costs and complex patient needs.
The digital tools are integrated with Express Scripts' existing care management programs, which "augments the care model" for a more coordinated experience, he said.
We take the best of what these digital health companies offer … and we combine it with our specialized care teams, anchored by pharmacists," Bini said.
For example, pharmacists can see data coming in through the platforms that would prompt them to adjust a members' medication adherence regimen.
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The new tools added to the formulary for 2021 are:
- Women's health: Wildflower Health, a platform that aims to support family planning, fertility needs, pregnancy and post-partum care.
- Smoking cessation: Quit Genius for Tobacco and Vaping Cessation, which offers on-demand cognitive behavioral therapy, nicotine replacement treatment and cessation coaching.
- Muscle and joint pain: The formulary is adding three solutions in this area that provide in-home and on-demand physical therapy and coaching, Hinge Health, Omada MSK by Physera and RecoveryOne.
- Caregiver support: Prevail Health aims to assist users in managing stress and emotional well-being as a caregiver.
- COVID-19 return to work: Buoy Health's platform assists in safely reopening workplaces amid the pandemic.
With the wealth of digital health tools available to them, employers may struggle to pinpoint what is the best fit for their workforce. Bini said the formulary is designed to ease that process by cutting out much of the administrative work and offering a look at performance upfront, as platforms are vetted before being included.
He said using the formulary has saved employers as much as $120,000 in administrative costs alone, as they're not on the hook for conducting evaluations, forming contracts and procuring potential solutions.
"That has been an incredible value-added service to our clients," he said.