Executive Insight By Michael Jackson, FPA Executive by michael jackson,Vice RPhPresident/CEO
Knowing Your Patients May Keep Your Patients as Pharmacy Clients
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any of you have heard that state of Florida employees will need to get their maintenance medications filled through the mail after the third refill. The FPA shared this with the membership in the end of session reports in the “Stat News” as well as the June 2010 issue of “Florida Pharmacy Today.” This issue had been inserted into the budget in the last few weeks of the session without public input and voted favorably along party lines. Members of the Florida Legislature believe that there is considerable savings by creating a requirement for state employees to use “exclusively” mail service providers rather than community pharmacies. Mail order pharmacy services have been growing over the years, generating increased market share. In some cases, patients may not be aware of their benefit plan changes until their pharmacy processes a claim and it is rejected as mail order requirement. In other cases, patients may receive a letter from their prescription benefits plan coordinator informing them of the policy change. Indeed, many mail order providers have been marketing their services as being lower cost to patients by charging only a single co-pay for a 90-day supply of prescription medications versus having to pay three copays for the same supply through the local community pharmacy provider. What consumers may not be aware of is that their benefit plan achieves this advantage by restricting the community pharmacy providers from dispensing more than a 30-day supply. This results in a tremendous unleveling of the pharmacy market by favoring one
pharmacy business model over another. A February 15, 2005, “Wall Street Journal” article suggested that mail order prescription costs were higher for some generics than what was available through local community pharmacies. What is interesting, though, are some comments that I overheard at a non-pharmacy meeting that I attended where there was casual conversation related to pharmacy services by mail. What I found shocking was the observation by meeting participants favoring mail order because of a perceived lack of value and inconvenience from community pharmacy services. Still, I am encouraged by a recent report from J. D. Power and Associates. This report, which was based upon customer satisfaction surveys, rated community pharmacy services (in particular franchised independent pharmacy) higher than mail order. What this means is that we must be ever diligent in making sure that the patients who use pharmacy services, regardless of the pharmacy provider type, personally know their pharmacist. This month is American Pharmacists Month. We should use this opportunity to encourage a healthy and vibrant relationship with those who depend on our skills as health care practitioners. It is very likely that patients who know their pharmacist are less likely to have negative outcomes related to prescription drug therapy. Also, your clients would be less likely to allow anything to come between you and their interest in retaining you as their medication therapy management expert. It is also critical that those of you reading this article share your concerns with
Michael Jackson, B.Pharm
members of the Florida House and Senate. It is they who are, in many cases, the architects of health care policy that we as providers must live under. This month, take a few minutes to welcome patients to your pharmacy and invite them to celebrate American Pharmacists Month (APhM) with you. The Florida Pharmacy Association has been successful in getting the Governor of Florida to declare October 2010 as American Pharmacists Month. n
OCTOBER 2010 |
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