A comprehensive program announced today by pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime), which serves 14 Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans nationally, identifies members who are at risk of controlled substance misuse and gets them into programs that can help reduce their risk. Prime’s “Controlled Substance Management Program” combines existing and new offerings into a multi-layered program to help address the national epidemic.
The program builds on Prime’s decade-long leadership in addressing the controlled substance crisis, which has contributed to a 16 percent decrease in opioid claims over the past five years for Prime’s commercial book of business, comparing the first half of 2012 to the first half of 2017. A recent Prime study shows its controlled substance programs were associated with 6.4 percent fewer emergency room visits and reduced health care costs up to $1,500 per member per year.