The Ohio Dept. of Administrative Services (DAS) benefits division recently emailed state employees about phone calls they are receiving at their work numbers about prescription management. The article was included in the HR Newsletter last week.
"The calls from OptumRx are legitimate and are part of a new prescription drug program. To clarify, OptumRx will be making outbound calls to State of Ohio members if they meet certain criteria, for the purposes of care coordination and prescription management," said DAS. The calls from OptumRx come from the number 833-229-2520, and the caller ID may show “YOUR HLTH PLAN.” Voicemails instruct employees to call back with a code, which DAS says is safe to do.
The use of multiple drugs to treat diseases and other health conditions is known as polypharmacy. This is a growing concern for older adults and those with multiple chronic conditions. Polypharmacy has been a topic of conversation for the labor/management health care team, the Joint Health Care Committee (JHCC). Both the state and OCSEA say the calls from OptumRx are intended to assist with drug safety and to ensure prescription drug users only take those medicines they need and do not take those that may conflict with one another.
If you have any questions about the new OptumRx program, please email or call Greg Pawlack at gregory.pawlack@das.ohio.gov (614-466-6205) or Nick Zimmer at nicholas.zimmer@das.ohio.gov (614-728-8698).