ST. LOUIS and PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Thrifty White Pharmacy and LDM Group, a provider of behavior-based health management programs, have teamed up to support the Million Hearts Initiative, a national effort led by the Department of Health and Human Services that aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.
The companies said Thursday that under the partnership, Thrifty White will use LDM’s direct-to-patient messaging program, called CarePoints, to deliver targeted health and wellness information to patients at the pharmacy.
“All of Thrifty White’s 1,200 employees owner’s priority is to help improve the health of our patients by improving medication adherence and practicing preventative health care,” Dave Rueter, executive vice president of personnel at Thrifty White, said in a statement. “Every day, 2,200 people die from cardiovascular disease. Many of the people who are at high risk for heart attack or stroke don’t know. We feel that we can help patients reduce their risk for these diseases by checking their blood pressure as a first step.
"Our partnership with LDM Group allows us to communicate with the patients at highest risk and encourage them to visit our pharmacies to check their blood pressure. We know we can make a difference," Rueter explained.
LDM and Thrifty White noted that pharmacists are uniquely positioned to educate patients about the importance of adhering to medication and the specific role each medicine plays in improving blood pressure control, lowering heart attack risks and reducing strokes.
“We at the LDM Group are extremely excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Million Hearts Initiative and the ongoing fight against heart disease,” stated Mark Heinold, president of LDM Group. “Thrifty White continues to find ways to enhance the patient’s experience in the pharmacy, and LDM is happy to support their efforts to help reduce heart disease by providing patients with reliable and trusted health and wellness information through the CarePoints messaging program.”
Thrifty White, which has 90 pharmacies in the upper Midwest region, offers such services as medication synchronization and medication therapy management (MTM). Its medication synchronization program provides all of a patient’s maintenance medications on day each month, and specialized packaging options are available to help patients take those medications as directed.
