Humana Bets on Pharmacists to Lift Chronic Care Outcomes

Humana Inc. HUM, through its Medicaid arm Humana Healthy Horizons in Ohio, has partnered with CPESN USA to launch a Pharmacist Quality Rewards program, a value-based care initiative aimed at improving outcomes for members with hypertension and diabetes. The initiative emphasizes community-based care delivery by leveraging local pharmacy networks to close critical care gaps and expand access across Ohio.At the core of the program is a pay-for-performance model aligned with key quality metrics such as blood pressure control and glycemic management. Pharmacists receive actionable patient-level insights, enabling them to flag missed screenings or out-of-range results. With patients visiting pharmacies more frequently than primary care providers, HUM is leveraging this touchpoint to drive earlier interventions and better adherence.Execution is rooted in community-based settings, where pharmacists engage patients during routine prescription visits. They can conduct point-of-care testing, provide counseling and coordinate with prescribers when results signal the need for follow-up. This frequent interaction model strengthens monitoring and supports more timely interventions in chronic disease management.The move reinforces Humana’s focus on embedding community-based providers into its broader care framework. By integrating pharmacists more deeply into day-to-day care delivery, Humana Healthy Horizons in Ohio is improving access to essential services and making care more convenient and consistent for members.Better management of chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes can help reduce hospital admissions and emergency care utilization, lowering overall medical costs for HUM. This, combined with potential improvements in quality ratings and reimbursement levels, can support steady revenue growth and margin stability, reinforcing the company’s long-term earnings outlook. Its total revenues of $129.7 billion rose 10.1% year over year in 2025. It expects total revenues to be at least $160 billion in 2026.HUM’s Price PerformanceOver the past year, HUM shares have fallen 32.3% compared with the industry’s decline of 43.1%.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchHUM’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksHUM currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some top-ranked stocks in the Medical space are Globus Medical, Inc. GMED, InnovAge Holding Corp. INNV and BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. BTSG, each currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Globus Medical’s current-year earnings of $4.46 per share has witnessed one upward revision in the past 30 days, against no movement in the opposite direction. Globus Medical beat earnings estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average surprise being 18.8%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $3.2 billion, suggesting 8.7% year-over-year growth.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for InnovAge Holding’s current-year earnings of 25 cents per share has witnessed one upward revision in the past 60 days, against no movement in the opposite direction. InnovAge Holding beat earnings estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average surprise being 87.5%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $944.5 million, suggesting 10.6% year-over-year growth.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BrightSpring Health Services’ current-year earnings of $1.61 per share has witnessed six upward revisions in the past 60 days, against no movement in the opposite direction. BrightSpring Health Services beat earnings estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with an average surprise of 40.4%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $14.8 billion, suggesting 14.8% year-over-year growth.Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks