RxAmerica opens Michigan office in Detroit's historical Fisher Building

PR Newswire - July 30, 2004 - DETROIT- On August 1, RxAmerica, a national pharmacy benefit management services company (PBM), will officially open a regional sales and clinical services office in Detroit's historical Fisher Building. The office is part of national expansion program which is geared toward meeting and exceeding the needs of their customers and market focus in Michigan. In addition to the new Detroit office, RxAmerica's corporate headquarters reside in Salt Lake City and its state-of-the-art mail service center is located in Sacramento, California. RxAmerica has a strong presence in the Michigan area because of its emphasis on quality and cost control and already manages the prescription benefit services of some of the largest health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in Michigan. RxAmerica currently manages four Michigan Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs): Great Lakes Health Plan, Health Plan of Michigan, Molina Healthcare and Total Health Care/Total Health Choices.

The Detroit office is located in suite 413 of the Fisher Building. An official Michigan Historical Landmark since 1978, the golden tower of the Fisher Building has brightened the downtown skyline of Detroit since it was bult in 1928.

"RxAmerica's proven track record with HMOs in the State of Michigan has led to our need of opening an office in the area," said RxAmerica's President John Gardynik. "We started with Molina Healthcare, added Great Lakes Health Plan, and recently implemented Health Plan of Michigan and Total Health Care. RxAmerica understands the Michigan Managed Medicaid marketplace. Our new Detroit office has a great centralized location and will enable us to increase our service to our current clients in that area of the country and provide for our future clients."

RxAmerica's innovative clinical programs have played an important role in its success in the Michigan area. RxAmerica's proactive member and provider education initiatives, expertise in managing prescription drug costs and working closely with Michigan-specific pharmacy carve-out programs, along with its state-of-the-art decision support reporting tool, have also contributed to RxAmerica winning business in the area.

"Opening an office in Michigan offers RxAmerica the opportunity to continue our proactive efforts to control prescription drug costs," said Tom Holden, Michigan Director of Sales. "Growing healthcare expenses are a reality that pharmacy benefit managers must address. However, we can't lose sight of our goal to provide our members with quality service. RxAmerica combines the best of both worlds by providing innovative programs that maintain quality while controlling drug plan costs."

About RxAmerica - RxAmerica is a leading Pharmacy Benefits Manager that specializes in controlling costs, creating customized solutions and delivering unbeatable service for its clients. RxAmerica has partnered with many large and small managed care providers to create a new trend in the industry-lowering prescription costs in a consistently inflationary environment. With its powerful online reporting tool, RxInsider™, RxAmerica delivers innovative and targeted programs that improve the health of members while lowering costs for health plans.

Nationally, RxAmerica provides prescription benefits for more than five million individuals through a retail network of more than 53,000 pharmacies and a state-of-the-art mail order facility. RxAmerica is a wholly owned subsidiary of Longs Drug Stores Corporation (NYSE - symbol LDG), one of the leading drug store chains in North America. Information on Longs Drugs is available at www.longs.com.

For more information on RxAmerica, call 1-800-770-8014 or visit RxAmerica's Web site at www.rxamerica.com.