The Value of the Partnership
Employers and other health care purchasers are on the frontlines of providing affordable health care coverage to their employees and members – a job that is only getting harder in the face of drug companies’ out-of-control prices. Partnering with PBMs is an important part of the solution to lower drug costs and improve health outcomes. Employers and other health care purchasers work with PBMs to:
Make prescription drugs more affordable
PBMs use their purchasing power to negotiate deep discounts from drug manufacturers, use their clinical expertise to identify lower-cost alternatives, including generic drugs, and provide discounts at the pharmacy counter to lower out-of-pocket costs.
Help patients access and adhere to their medicine
With over 4 billion prescriptions filled each year, PBMs use a holistic approach to make a complicated system more efficient by making sure patients get the medicines they need. PBMs provide patients and their doctors with real-time cost information, build national networks of pharmacies and offer prescriptions by mail to ensure convenient access. PBMs also help patients manage chronic conditions through disease-specific programs and improve patient safety by checking for potentially dangerous drug interactions.
