CVS/pharmacy Earns First-Ever Community Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC

Jul 31, 2014 1:50 PM ET
Campaign: Health in Action

WOONSOCKET, R.I. and WASHINGTON, July 31, 2014 /3BL Media/ -- CVS/pharmacy and URAC announced today that CVS/pharmacy is the first pharmacy in the nation to earn the new Community Pharmacy accreditation from URAC, the leading health care accreditation organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. All CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drug Store locations nationwide have earned this accreditation.

URAC has over 30 accreditation programs. Its Community Pharmacy Accreditation Program was developed to establish consistent benchmarks and standards for pharmacy practice quality. Organizations that earn URAC's Community Pharmacy Accreditation are recognized as providers of comprehensive patient care and medication management programs, and as leaders in quality and patient safety.

To achieve this accreditation, CVS/pharmacy underwent a rigorous evaluation process to validate the quality of the care and services it provides to its patients, including patient-centered medication management, wellness services, and preventive and chronic disease management.

"We are proud to be the first national pharmacy to earn URAC Community Pharmacy Accreditation," said Josh Flum, Senior Vice President of Retail Pharmacy at CVS Caremark. "Having a widely recognized and respected accreditation organization such as URAC independently scrutinize our operation and attest to the quality of the pharmacy care and services we provide demonstrates our continued commitment to helping people on their path to better health as a leader in the healthcare industry."

"CVS/pharmacy is to be commended for its decision to pursue URAC's Community Pharmacy accreditation," said URAC President and CEO Kylanne Green. "Quality healthcare services are crucial to our nation's welfare and CVS Caremark has demonstrated its commitment to quality and accountability not only for this most recent accreditation program but also for the four pharmacy accreditations it has already received."

CVS/pharmacy is the retail division of CVS Caremark, which is now accredited in five of URAC's accreditation programs for Pharmacy: Community Pharmacy, Pharmacy Benefit Management, Drug Therapy Management, Specialty Pharmacy and Mail Service Pharmacy.

About URAC
URAC, a national accreditation leader, offers over 30 highly regarded accreditation programs that span the healthcare spectrum. URAC programs are created and updated by independent industry-spanning experts to address the latest market trends and needs and is a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. URAC is the accrediting body for various aspects of pharmacy practice with six pharmacy quality management programs: Community Pharmacy Accreditation; Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation; Mail Service Pharmacy Accreditation; Pharmacy Benefit Management Accreditation; Drug Therapy Management Accreditation and Workers' Compensation Pharmacy Benefit Management Accreditation. URAC's accreditation programs are formally recognized by six federal agencies, as well as 48 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

About CVS/pharmacy
CVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS), is America's leading retail pharmacy with more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drug stores in the U.S. CVS/pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available at http://info.cvscaremark.com/.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

For CVS/pharmacy
Michael DeAngelis
401-770-2645

For URAC
Brooke Kane
202-962-8814