Medco Reforming Healthcare with 'Smarter Medicine'; Wired, Transformational Pharmacy Model Advances Clinical Quality and Lowers Cost

Medco Health Solutions, Inc (NYSE: MHS) is today contributing to a transformation in American healthcare through an advanced, wired pharmacy paradigm that is already delivering higher quality clinical care and fundamentally bending the cost curve downward -- making medicine smarter for the benefit of patients and payors alike. The company today explained how the elements in its strategy enable "Smarter Medicine" to help address the estimated $350 billion in waste related to the treatment of patients with chronic and complex diseases -- patients who currently account for 96 percent of all drug costs and 75 percent of all medical spending in the United States. "Our clients are not waiting for healthcare reform. They're aggressively seeking solutions that can be immediately implemented," Medco Chairman and CEO David B. Snow Jr. told those attending the company's annual investor conference. "Medco innovations have created a superior clinical model that is proven to deliver value today in managing the debilitating human and financial costs associated with chronic and complex diseases. The market has responded by awarding our company more than $21 billion in new business over the past two years as we leverage the practice of pharmacy as a tool to improve quality and eliminate inefficiency across the healthcare system." Full release.