Prime Therapeutics to Provide Pharmacy Mail Service to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Members

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Map) - ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Therapeutics (Prime) announced today it has entered into agreement with Rochester, New York-based Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) to provide pharmacy mail service to approximately 1.2 million health plan members through PrimeMail(R), Prime's mailservice pharmacy, beginning January 1, 2009.

"Our organization's mission involves providing access to affordable, effective health care services and being responsible stewards of health care resources," stated Joel Owerbach, Pharm.D., vice president and chief pharmacy officer for Excellus BCBS. "We selected PrimeMail for our members because of its alignment with this mission and Prime's commitment to quality member service."

PrimeMail expects to process approximately 500,000 mail scripts for Excellus BCBS members in 2009. With state-of-the-art pharmacy facilities, PrimeMail offers flexible and scalable mail pharmacy services to plan sponsors and their members across the US. PrimeMail's nearly two-to-one operating ratio of technicians to pharmacists and its focus on timely and accurate dispensing have resulted in consistently high member satisfaction.

"PrimeMail's proven commitment to member service, safety and satisfaction is unmatched in our industry," stated Tim Dickman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Prime Therapeutics. "Organizations like Excellus BCBS that share this commitment are choosing PrimeMail. We are pleased to welcome this upstate New York health plan as our newest PrimeMail client and pledge our continued commitment to focusing on providing cost-effective and scalable solutions to our clients in 2009 and beyond."

Prime Therapeutics is a pharmacy benefit management company dedicated to providing innovative, clinically-based, cost-effective pharmacy solutions for clients and members. Providing pharmacy benefit services nationwide to approximately 14.6 million covered lives, its client base includes Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, employer and union groups, and thirdparty administrators. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Prime Therapeutics is collectively owned by 10 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those Plans. Learn more at http://www.primetherapeutics.com.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a nonprofit independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, is part of a family of companies that finances and delivers vital health care services to about 1.8 million people across upstate New York. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has also launched a nationally recognized "Generics are Real" program to educate the public about the benefits of generic drugs. To learn more, visit go.excellusbcbs.com/generics.