OK rig count falls

Oklahoma's rig count took a 10% tumble this week, falling to 54 as the nationwide number of working rigs also declined substantially, Baker Hughes reported Friday.

This week's national working rig count is 830, off 21 for the week and off 238 from the 1,068 that were drilling a year ago. The number of rigs drilling for oil declined by 17, to 696, while the number of rigs drilling for natural gas declined by four, to 133. A miscellaneous rig is operating this week.

In Oklahoma, the count was 60 a week ago and 141 a year ago. The number of rigs working in the Cana Woodford basin week-overweek declined to 28, off by two.

The most active basins this week, Baker Hughes said, are the Permian in west Texas and southeast New Mexico at 417, the south Texas Eagle Ford at 63, the Williston at 53, the Haynesville at 52 and the Marcellus at 42.

Health agency expands Virtual Pharmacist

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is expanding its medication optimization program in collaboration with Arine, a health care technology company that combines data science with clinical expertise. The expansion is driven by the results of a successful two-county demonstration project undertaken in early 2019, officials said.

The program involves clinical pharmacists using Arine's proprietary technology platform to deliver personalized medication management and quality improvement services to high-risk, highcost SoonerCare members. The program is known as the Virtual Pharmacist.

“Arine has demonstrated a commitment to the citizens of Oklahoma by providing valuable drug-related services to the individuals we serve. This program is an excellent example of leveraging technology to improve services to our SoonerCare members while controlling costs,” OHCA CEO Kevin Corbett said.