Geisinger and Merck to Collaborate on Multi-year Effort to Improve Patient Adherence, Engagement and Care Delivery
June 18, 2012 7:30 am ET
Geisinger Health System and Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the
United States and Canada, today announced a new multi-year collaboration
designed to improve patient health outcomes by focusing on innovative
solutions that facilitate shared decision making between patients and
physicians and improve adherence to treatment plans and clinical care
processes.
“We believe that healthcare is most effective when patients are active
partners in their care,” said Glenn Steele Jr., M.D., Ph.D., president
and chief executive officer of Geisinger Health System. “Our
collaboration with Merck will allow both organizations to leverage our
individual expertise and joint resources to improve patient engagement,
including finding new interventions to increase the likelihood that
patients will adhere to their treatment plans.”
Teams from Geisinger and Merck will work together to improve patient
adherence, increase the role of patients in making decisions to help
manage their conditions, share information among extended care teams,
and improve clinical care processes. The first tool being developed is
an interactive web application designed to help primary care clinicians
assess and engage patients at risk for cardiometabolic syndrome.
Cardiometabolic syndrome is a clustering of various risk factors that
put an individual at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular disease.
“When you have two leading healthcare companies that share a commitment
to improve health outcomes and are focused on fundamental problems that
have plagued the healthcare system for years, the results have the
potential to be transformative,” said Mark Timney, Merck’s President of
Global Human Health – U.S. Market. “We’re excited about the opportunity
to work with Geisinger to address these critical areas.”
The web application and other care management solutions that Merck and
Geisinger develop will initially be tested within the Geisinger system.
Geisinger has been at the forefront of the development of innovative
healthcare delivery models focused on improving adherence and developing
methods to better engage patients. Merck has conducted scientific
research to better understand the drivers of non-adherence and develop
evidence-based interventions.
”A rapid learning process will be used to integrate, evaluate and
improve the performance of each solution in primary care clinical
settings,” Dr. Steele said. “We will closely monitor patient acceptance,
treatment adherence, and other metrics to determine which tools and
solutions have the ability to improve patient care and are ready to be
deployed on a broader scale.”
About Geisinger Health System
Geisinger is an integrated health services organization widely
recognized for its innovative use of the electronic health record, and
the development and implementation of innovative care models including
ProvenHealth Navigator, an advanced medical home model, and ProvenCare
program. The system serves more than 2.6 million residents throughout 44
counties in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. For more information,
visit www.geisinger.org.
Follow the latest Geisinger news and more at Twitter and Facebook.
About Merck
Today’s Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be
well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.
Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and
consumer care and animal health products, we work with customers and
operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health
solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to
healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For
more information, visit www.merck.com
and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Merck Forward-Looking Statement
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include,
but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the merger
between Merck and Schering-Plough, including future financial and
operating results, the combined company’s plans, objectives,
expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical
facts. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and
expectations of Merck’s management and are subject to significant risks
and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to
differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: the
possibility that all of the expected synergies from the merger of Merck
and Schering-Plough will not be realized, or will not be realized within
the expected time period; the impact of pharmaceutical industry
regulation and health care legislation in the United States and
internationally; Merck’s ability to accurately predict future market
conditions; dependence on the effectiveness of Merck’s patents and other
protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation
and/or regulatory actions.
Merck undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ
materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be
found in Merck’s 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at
the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
Media:
Merck
Kelley P. Dougherty, 908-423-4291
or
Patrick Witmer, 267-305-4910
or
Geisinger
Amanda O’Rourke, 570-214-9091
or
Investor Relations:
Merck
Carol Ferguson, 908-423-4465
