NOVA ScriptsCentral

Description

The NSC model is based on research of best-practices and focuses on economy of scale: all clinics using one pharmacy for the benefit of all, rather than each clinic developing their own pharmacy. A central-fill, mail-order pharmacy is able to maximize the professional skills of the pharmacist and technicians, reduce per unit cost of filling prescriptions and undertake joint purchasing of medications to reduce costs for all. In 2007 NSC's partner clinics throughout the Northern Virginia region provided primary care for more than 15,500 uninsured children and adults, and the number is growing daily. The clinics' low-income populations are more likely to report multiple chronic illnesses including diabetes, asthma, hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease than an insured patient base, and are more likely to have delayed treatment, preventive care, and the purchase of prescription drugs. A disproportionate share of the uninsured in Northern Virginia are people of color and new immigrants, and the inability to access medications contributes to severe disparities including poor health outcomes for children and adults, and an increase in hospitalizations and ER visits for diseases that could be managed with pharmaceutical products.