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NACDS Endorses Argus as Partner in Pharmacy Care Alliance

KANSAS CITY, MO (March 11, 2002) - The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) is in negotiations with Argus Health Systems, Inc. to be a licensed administrator for its new PharmacyCareOneCard.

As an administrator for this program, Argus will serve as a processing engine to administer multiple drug manufacturer discount and subsidy programs, providing:
  • IVR technology to answer incoming calls
  • eligibility testing across all participating manufacturer programs
  • customized enrollment materials and membership packages
  • call center services for member calls
  • prescription claims processing
  • Web-enabled reporting tools
“We are in discussions with Argus to participate as a licensee based on their strong history of superior claims processing, the company’s values and vision for this program — which align very closely with our own, and Argus’ great relationships with the pharmaceutical manufacturer community. Argus currently administers discount programs, so their ability and experience was impressive,” said Craig Fuller, President and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Spawned by the need to provide an integrated solution for providing senior citizens with discount prescription, the Pharmacy Care Alliance was created as an NACDS special project.

The Alliance will bring together a variety of pharmaceutical manufacturers’ individual drug discount programs for seniors and compile them into one easy to use card, the PharmacyCareOneCard.

As an interim solution to congressional resolution regarding Medicare prescription benefits, this approach will provide the opportunity for low-income seniors to participate in the variety of drug discount programs becoming available.

This program is geared toward educating seniors so that they can fully take advantage of the programs available. The Pharmacy Care Alliance will work with community pharmacies and physicians to help facilitate effective communication to seniors. Combining the discount programs under this umbrella approach helps alleviate the information burden on pharmacists and physicians, as they only have one program with which to become familiar.


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Argus Health Systems is the leading independent provider of claims processing, information services and administrative support for pharmacy program management. Since its founding in 1983, Argus has grown from processing 1 million claims to processing more than 186 million claims for 24 million members. Argus offers full disclosure, a fully auditable rebate process and a broad range of products and services to satisfy customer needs. A proven tradition of excellence as a claims processor, processing hundreds of edits per second for more than 300,000 unique benefit plans, helps further set Argus apart. Building on this solid foundation, Argus has expanded its offering to include reporting features, reimbursements, call center, pharmacy network management, clinical information services and rebate contracting and administration. Argus' goal is to provide a total package of pharmacy benefit capabilities to its customers.