Rx Express, a suite of innovative patient engagement and automation technologies developed by UPMC Enterprises and the UPMC Retail Pharmacy Network, was recently acquired by Arrive Health. This acquisition will enable Arrive Health to create a first-of-its-kind pharmacy navigation network and expand its ability to positively impact patient access, affordability, and medication adherence.
“With these additions, we will support patients more holistically from the exam room to the pharmacy counter. We will create a digital experience similar to what consumers experience outside of healthcare.”
Kyle Kiser, chief executive officer of Arrive Health.
Over the last five years, the Rx Express team developed integrated workflow tools and technology-enabled solutions including an AI chatbot to help care teams prioritize patients who are at risk of skipping their medications and drive engagement through automated outreach.
Numerous Enterprises staff have contributed to the success of Rx Express since its inception and this significant milestone could not have been achieved without the innovation and perseverance of their dedicated team: John Reiter, Matt Odille, Shane Chesnutt, Mike Levin, Amanda Abernathy, Robin Coulter (PharmD), Evan Sailer, and Jim Hantz who have transitioned to the Arrive team and Paula Sullivan, Kathryn Heffernan, Drew Romango, Jim Mosco, and Kelsie Karolcik (PharmD) who remain at Enterprises.
The Rx Express technology has demonstrated meaningful results. It was initially tested among dermatology patients, then piloted at UPMC Presbyterian in April 2019, and soon after rolled out at 10 additional hospitals in October 2019. Outcomes included a 200% improvement in refill-rate, a 32% reduction in 7-day readmissions, and the elimination of thousands of pharmacy calls per month. Rx Express is currently in use at 12 hospitals, 13 outpatient pharmacies, and 3 clinics within the UPMC network and will remain active in those locations going forward.
The impact of Rx Express goes far beyond the quantitative results. Paula Sullivan, CPhT, the leading pharmacy technician on the team, shared how grateful patients were to have access to the technology:
“I believe Rx Express is like no other pharmacy – we provide truly exceptional care to our patients. Working with our transplant patient population has been especially rewarding because their medicines change as they go through the treatment process. We can work with their transplant coordinators if there’s been a change, we can access records to answer questions, and because they have so many medicines, we can arrange to ship as many prescriptions to them as possible all at once. UPS delivers right to their door, and they can use the medicines right away. Transplant patients are extremely grateful. We’ve gotten to know them and their families and they appreciate the human connection that we provide.”
Paula Sullivan, CPhT
Read more about the Rx Express acquisition on the Enterprises blog and view the full press release here
