SAN FRANCISCO — Surescripts is teaming up with Good Rx to surface key prescription discounts to consumers.
The health information network announced Tuesday at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that it would launch Script Corner, a new patient experience platform. Script Corner unites key benefit data, medication management tools and personalized engagement to smooth out their medication experience.
The tool is also being built with price transparency in mind, in part through offering discounted cash prices in an exclusive partnership with GoodRx.
Frank Harvey, CEO of Surescripts, said at the conference that while many apps and tools aim to arm patients with key transparency data, but the Script Corner platform is the first to put that in the palm of their hands.
The tool is designed to go beyond the patient experience as well, Harvey said. Per the announcement, Surescripts built Script Corner to improve the medication experience across providers, pharmacies, drugmakers and pharmacy benefit managers.
Harvey said Script Corner is launching with two health systems, one based in Illinois and one based in Texas, and the team is already building momentum with other providers.
"We think it's going to be tremendously exciting to a lot of the health systems," Harvey said.
Surescripts said that the tool makes it easier for providers to offer patients greater choice in their medication options and can reduce delays or the need to switch to new therapies. Health systems benefit from increased medication adherence and lower abandonment rates through improved outcomes.
Surescripts found in a recent survey that 87% of prescribers said that patients request to change or delay a prescription because of the out-of-pocket expense very or somewhat often.
Script Corner also makes it easier for pharmaceutical companies to connect with patients around discounts and other programs, and provides PBMs and insurers with greater visibility into the drugs their members take. It also surfaces key coverage information to patients to ensure that they're able to afford their prescriptions, according to the announcement.
And that's where GoodRx comes in. At the pharmacy counter, patients are given the option for the GoodRx cash price or the cost under their insurance plan, and through the platform they have the option to select the GoodRx price and pay online in advance, then pick up their prescription.
Wendy Barnes, president and CEO of GoodRx, said during the session that the teams are aligned on Script Corner but are still taking the pilot slow as they feel out how the platform interacts with prescriber workflows and the patient experience.
"I'm viewing this as a slow journey," Barnes said. "We're going to test and learn with some of these early systems."