WOONSOCKET, R.I., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ — CVS Caremark (NYSE:
CVS) is presenting data at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
(AMCP) 2010 Educational Conference illustrating how innovative
approaches to traditional plan designs can help clients reduce drug
spend, improve generic dispensing rates (GDR) and minimize member
disruption. The company is sharing results from three different
client experiences that demonstrate how by adapting traditional
plan design approaches such as step therapy and 90-day prescription
mail pricing, plan sponsors see improved results while members
experience minimal disruption.
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“PBMs have a variety of tools available to help clients reduce
costs and increase GDR, however, because these approaches may
require a change in member behavior and can be disruptive to the
member experience, clients may hesitate to fully implement these
plan designs,” said Per Lofberg, head of CVS Caremark’s pharmacy
benefit management business. “Our research shows that by
adapting these traditional plan design elements to provide members
with appealing options, increased flexibility and proactive
communications we can minimize member disruption and increase the
savings opportunity for clients.”
One of the CVS Caremark studies reviewed a new approach to
driving a generics-first strategy focused on Proton Pump Inhibitors
(PPIs). This class of drugs reflected a significant pharmacy
spend for an employer client and the clients’ goals were to reduce
prescription spend in this drug class, without compromising access
or member satisfaction. Rather than implementing a
traditional plan design in which drugs in the class would be
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