Press Releases

Rx Benefits Coalition Luncheon Series

IMPROVING HEALTH CARE THROUGH

DRUG BENEFIT STRATEGIES

The Rx Benefits Coalition is pleased to present its final luncheon in its series of six luncheon forums on Capitol Hill. The July 15th luncheon will discuss the home delivery of prescription drugs, focusing on the safety and quality of home delivery, the savings that can accrue to payers as well as patients who take advantage of home delivery, as well as the convenience of home delivery.

Many managers of prescription drug benefit programs operate home-delivery pharmacies. Benefit sponsors often encourage their beneficiaries to use home delivery services, usually by providing for lower co-payments for prescriptions filled via home delivery. Home-delivery pharmacies generally provide a prescription drug benefit at less cost to the benefit sponsor. Because the beneficiary does not expect the prescription immediately, home delivery pharmacies have more time to employ other quality-enhancing and cost-saving mechanisms, such as seeking physician approval for therapeutic substitutions and checking the medical records maintained by the such pharmacies for adverse drug reactions.

Presenters at the July 15th luncheon will include a company maintaining its own self-insured health plan and a prescription drug benefit program that utilizes a home delivery pharmacy.

The presenters will discuss:

Savings that can be achieved by the benefit sponsors and their beneficiaries by utilizing home-delivery services.
Safety features applied by the home-delivery pharmacy both to assure there is no adverse drug reaction and to be certain the correct prescription in the proper dosage and with the correct instructions are delivered to the beneficiary.
Legislative and regulatory developments that potentially reduce the cost-savings obtained through home-delivery services.

The details of the luncheon are as follows:

DATE:

Monday, July 15th

TIME:

12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.

PLACE:

Room B-340, Rayburn House Office Building

AGENDA:
"In Your Mailbox: Safety, Savings, and Convenience
With Home Delivery of Medicines"

Moderator: LaVarne Burton, President, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

Presenter: Stephen T. Hobson, R.Ph., Regional Vice President, Medco Health Solution, Inc.

Presenter: Tom Broderick, CEBS, Manager, Employee Health and Welfare Plans for Bethlehem Steel Corporation

The luncheon forum schedule is –

Monday, April 8th--	“The Value of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaceutical Care Services”
Monday, April 22nd --	"Safety First: How Prescription Drug Benefit Services Enhance Patient Safety"
Monday, May 6th --	"Formularies: Fact and Fiction"
Monday, May 20th --	"Generics: Reducing Consumer Costs With the Appropriate Use of Generics"
Monday, June 3rd--	"Disease Management: Improving Patient Health Through Innovation, Collaboration, and Intervention"
Monday, July 15th --	"In Your Mailbox: Safety, Savings, and Convenience With Home Delivery of Medicines"

The Rx Benefits Coalition represents a diverse group of employers and other payers and providers of prescription benefits committed to ensuring that consumers have access to safe and affordable prescription drug services through the use of proven market-based innovations in pharmaceutical care.