If you’re a Member of Community Health Options who’s struggling to pay for medication, skipping doses because of the cost, or just feel overwhelmed by trips to the pharmacy, our Care Management and Pharmacy teams may be able help.
Through our new Medication Synchronization Program, Community Health Options has begun to reach out to Members with three or more chronic prescriptions to arrange for a three-month supply of all their medications to be available at their local pharmacy at the same time.
And when it comes to cost, our Care Management and Pharmacy teams may be able to find ways for Members to save money. For instance, a Member with type 2 diabetes was recently reusing dull lancets to test her glucose levels. She also stopped filling her Ozempic prescription because it was just too expensive. As a result, her blood sugar shot to dangerous levels.
A Community Health Options pharmacist stepped in to help. She worked with the woman’s provider to get the prescription switched to mail order which brought the cost for Ozempic down to a more affordable price.
Our Pharmacy team is specially trained to evaluate Members’ situations for opportunities to save them money and ensure they’re taking medications as prescribed. For example, our ScriptSaver Program, launched in 2020, saved more than $157,000 in pharmacy costs in 2022.
“When we see a potential savings, we reach out to the Member,” says a Community Health Options’ clinical pharmacist. “It’s not just about informing them that we found a savings; it’s about going through the process with them, so they don’t have to do all the legwork alone.”
The opportunity for savings can be significant, and Members need only give our care teams the green light to work with providers and pharmacies to help reduce prescription costs. Our care teams also contact drug manufacturers to explore potential savings—a step many retail pharmacies don’t have time for.
To access these services, call our Maine-based Member Services team at (855) 624-6463, available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
As part of an effort to expand access to free and accessible world-class fitness in beautiful public spaces, Community Health Options has partnered with National Fitness Campaign (NFC) to build Fitness Courts® across Maine.
The Fitness Court is an outdoor bodyweight circuit training gym that supports all-level workouts and can be completed in as little as seven minutes a day. The Fitness Courts are free to use, designed for all fitness abilities, and suitable for ages 14 and older. With the free Fitness Court app, available for iOS or Android, users can take classes, learn workout routines, and get fit.
The ultimate goal is to fight back against preventable diseases caused by sedentary behavior and transform the next decade so that millions of Americans will choose outdoor wellness activities for healthier lives.
“Mainers are known for enjoying the great outdoors. Our partnership with the NFC will help more adult Mainers enjoy exercising outside and will allow them to be their healthiest selves, mentally and physically,” said Kevin Lewis, president and CEO of Health Options. “Our vision to be a leader in transforming and improving individual and community health naturally aligns with the NFC’s work.”
Through the NFC partnership, grant-funded Health Options Fitness Courts will be constructed in easily accessible public spaces beginning in Summer 2022. The NFC and Health Options will begin accepting grant funding applications on November 4, 2021, to support Fitness Court construction in local communities.
Qualified municipalities, schools, and other organizations who own accessible public space are encouraged to apply here: nationalfitnesscampaign.com/maine. Grant recipients will receive a wellness toolkit and design resources to aid in planning, funding, and launching their outdoor Fitness Court and community wellness campaign. To learn more about National Fitness Campaign and how to qualify for funding, visit: nationalfitnesscampaign.com/maine.
Watch this video to learn more.
