Evernorth Launches AI-Powered Pharmacy Forward Program to Enhance Specialty Pharmacy Care
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The initiative will initially roll out to customers of Accredo Specialty Pharmacy, with Evernorth committing a $100 million investment through 2028.
Evernorth has introduced Pharmacy Forward, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered specialty pharmacy program designed to improve care coordination, accelerate prescription access, and deliver more personalized support for patients managing complex health conditions. The initiative will initially roll out to customers of Accredo Specialty Pharmacy, with Evernorth committing a $100 million investment through 2028.
According to the company, Pharmacy Forward integrates clinical data, AI-generated summaries, and predictive analytics to help care teams make faster, more informed decisions while reducing administrative workloads. The platform is intended to allow pharmacists and clinicians to spend more time on direct patient care by streamlining prescription processing and improving service responsiveness.
Matt Perlberg, president of Evernorth Health Services' pharmacy and care delivery businesses, including Accredo, said the program is designed to provide patients with faster access to care while offering personalized clinical support throughout their treatment journey.
The AI-enabled platform can identify patients who may be at risk of discontinuing therapy or experiencing adverse events, allowing care teams to intervene earlier. Evernorth said it expects Pharmacy Forward to improve medication adherence beyond the current industry benchmark of 80% while reducing clinical documentation requirements by approximately 40%.
The company also plans to expand the use of AI-powered scheduling, enabling care teams to connect with patients during their preferred communication windows. Through Pharmacy Forward, Accredo expects a 25% increase in the use of personalized digital patient pathways.
Evernorth said the program will also shorten the time it takes for patients to receive specialty medications. Accredo estimates the initiative could reduce prescription fulfillment times by half by using AI to streamline prior authorization requests, identify available copayment assistance, and improve home delivery coordination for specialty medications.
Katya Andresen, chief data, digital and AI officer at Evernorth's parent company, The Cigna Group, said the initiative combines real-time data, advanced analytics, and clinical expertise to deliver more proactive and personalized patient support.
Evernorth expects Pharmacy Forward to generate approximately $400 million in value by the end of 2028 and plans to expand key AI capabilities across its broader pharmacy operations in the future.
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