Humana, Epic Partner to Offer Pharmacy Data Transparency

Health insurer Humana and electronic health record (EHR) vendor giant Epic are collaborating to leverage technology from both companies with the goal to promote open communication and information transparency that will give patients and their practitioners more real-time access to data.

“Humana is the first national healthcare insurer to collaborate with Epic to bring together patients, providers, and payers to power value-based care,” officials said in a press release announcement this week.

Aiming to enhance the prescribers experience, Humana will integrate its Real-Time Benefits Check (RTBC) tool, IntelligentRx, directly into Epic’s e-prescribing workflow, delivering real-time pharmacy data throughout its network.

“The integration of IntelligentRx’s decision-making platform with Epic’s product empowers physicians and their patients to make treatment decisions together, based on efficacy and cost transparency. When prescribers use IntelligentRx and they are presented with alternatives, we find that they select the more cost effective treatment nearly 40 percent of the time,” said Scott Greenwell, president of Humana Pharmacy Solutions.

Officials from both companies believe that integrating these technologies “will improve the timeliness and accuracy of Humana-generated knowledge, ease administrative burden, and help providers make the best decisions for patients at the point-of-care through the delivery of timely, meaningful member insights.”

“The nexus of these technologies will both improve the provider experience and patient access to care by empowering them to weigh evidence-based outcomes with patients’ individual medication cost and coverage,” said Alan Wheatley, president of Humana’s retail segment. “It’s estimated that roughly half of Humana Medicare Advantage members already see a doctor who uses Epic’s platform, so we are excited about the significant number of patients that will benefit from this partnership.”