Walgreens and OptumRx Agree to Multi-Year Provider Services Pharmacy Network Arrangement

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Walgreens (WAG) (WAG), the nations largest drugstore chain, today announced an extended, multi-year agreement in which Walgreens will build on its strategic partnership with OptumRx, one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the United States.

The agreement provides continued, long-term access to Walgreens pharmacy services at more than 7,800 locations nationwide for members of prescription drug benefit plans managed by OptumRx.

Walgreens offers both the pharmacy and overall health care value sought by PBMs like OptumRx who are developing differentiated member services and benefits for their clients, said Kermit Crawford, Walgreens president of pharmacy, health and wellness. We help drive down total health care costs through our industry-leading generic dispensing and conversion rates and our broad range of additional clinical services and advice that help improve patient care and health outcomes. We are pleased that OptumRx recognizes the service and value we bring to its clients.

This is a great opportunity to ensure our current and prospective customers have a broad range of options, including access to premier retail outlets like Walgreens, to help meet their health care needs, said Dirk McMahon, chief executive officer, OptumRx. Walgreens and OptumRx share a commitment to quality, safety and affordability for all our customers.

About Walgreens

As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become Americas first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 7,855 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

About OptumRx

OptumRx is part of Optum, a UnitedHealth Group (UNH) company and a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to making the health system work better for everyone. OptumRx is an innovative pharmacy benefit management business managing the prescription drug benefits of commercial, Medicare, Medicaid and other governmental health plans, as well as those of employers and unions through a national network of 64,000 community pharmacies and state-of-the-art mail service pharmacies in California and Kansas, both of which have earned the prestigious Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Visit http://www.optum.com for more information.

Continue reading here:
Walgreens and OptumRx Agree to Multi-Year Provider Services Pharmacy Network Arrangement