MWV Healthcare, Optum and Venebio Group selected to present at the ISPOR 18th Annual International M
MWV Healthcare, Optum and Venebio Group selected to present at the ISPOR 18th Annual International Meeting
Improving Medicare Star Ratings: Evidence in Support of the Use of Patient Medication Adherence Packaging as an Effective and Measurable Adherence Intervention
RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) has selected MWV Healthcare, Optum and Venebio Group to present a workshop May 22, 2013 at its 18th Annual International Meeting in New Orleans. ISPOR is the globally recognized authority on outcomes research and its use in health care decisions toward improved health.
As part of the workshop, entitled: "Improving Medicare Star Ratings: Evidence in Support of the Use of Patient Medication Adherence Packaging as an Effective and Measurable Adherence Intervention," presenters will describe studies that showed how simple, scalable calendarized blister packaging for prescription drugs improved patient adherence. It will also discuss how adherence may lead to higher Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage Plans.
The workshop will present published research demonstrating how MWV's adherence packaging solutions, Shellpak® and Shellpak® Renew, can improve patient adherence. Presenters will discuss the CMS Medicare Health and Drug Plan Five Star Quality and Performance Ratings, also known as the "Star Ratings", and how demonstrated improvement in patient adherence may have benefits to payers. The panelists will further evaluate how a strong research agenda designed to substantiate the impact of adherence interventions may benefit patients, payers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and retailers by identifying opportunities to improve Medicare Advantage Star Ratings.
The Star Ratings system for Medicare Advantage Plans was put in place as part of an effort to help educate consumers on quality and make information about quality ratings more transparent. The health reform legislation (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010) ties federal reimbursement rates for insurance carriers administering Medicare Advantage products to the Star Ratings system. Quality Bonus Payments (QBPs) are awarded based on a plan's Star Ratings annual performance.
MWV Healthcare partnered with the Venebio Group to evaluate the value that calendarized blister packaging provides as an adherence intervention in a real world setting. MWV Healthcare sponsored a peer-reviewed study published in Clinical Therapeutics involving more than 3 million Wal-Mart pharmacy patients. The study showed that Shellpak use was associated with improved adherence to self-administered medications for long-term use when compared with use of traditional pill vials.
According to Barbara Zedler, M.D., clinical researcher for Venebio and co-author of the paper, "Adherence is a complex multi-dimensional problem. The results of this study clearly show that calendar packaging - as a practical real world part of the solution - can play an important role in helping patients improve medication adherence."
Bruce V. Thomas, President of MWV Healthcare, added "We believe that smarter packaging provides significant value to all healthcare stakeholders, including patients, providers, manufacturers, pharmacy and payers - and we will continue to work with these stakeholders and with regulators to further investigate the effects of packaging on both medication adherence and pharmacoeconomics."
About Shellpak
MeadWestvaco Healthcare's Shellpak and Shellpak Renew products are innovative, award-winning packaging solutions designed to improve medication adherence alone or in combination with other adherence strategies. These packages feature child-resistant and senior-friendly outer package that protect medication tablets packaged in a 30-day calendared blister card. The calendar helps patients track medication usage, reduces dosing errors such as overdosage and missed doses, and improves refill timing. Additionally, Shellpak products can serve an effective foundation upon which broader adherence intervention programs can be built. The large, flat blistercard and outer package surface allows for dosing instructions and patient education to be printed in large, readable font. These packages can also be customized to reflect product brand image, display information designed to improve adherence, integrate technology-enabled links to enhance patient engagement, and provide differentiation for each medication enclosed.
About MWV
MeadWestvaco Corporation (NYS: MWV) is a global packaging company providing innovative solutions to the world's most admired brands in the healthcare, beauty and personal care, food , beverage, home and garden, and agricultural industries. The company also produces specialty chemicals for the automotive, energy, and infrastructure industries and maximizes the value of its land holdings through forestry operations, property development and land sales. MWV's network of 125 facilities and 16,000 employees spans North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The company has been recognized for financial performance and environmental stewardship with a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index every year since 2005. Learn more at www.mwv.com.
MeadWestvaco Corporation
Rachel Kaplan, + 1 804-444-7101
rachel.kaplan@mwv.com
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