Original source: www.benefitscanada.com

December 29, 2011 - With public payers across the country acknowledging the value of pharmacy by expanding scopes of practice and funding more services, there are opportunities for drug plan sponsors to capitalize on pharmacists’ expertise to better manage spending and improve health outcomes.

That was the message conveyed to attendees at this year’s Solutions in Drug Plan Management conference, which was held at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel in September 2011.

Roughly 130 people representing various stakeholder groups—drug plan sponsors, benefits consultants, adjudicators, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacists and insurers—attended the half-day event presented by Benefits Canada and Drugstore Canada magazines. The annual event was jam-packed with presentations that ran the gamut: from how the pharmacist’s changing role can benefit plan sponsors, to how—and why—employers should incorporate pharmacy services into their drug plans.

Finding a partner
Peter Zawadzki, professional affairs executive with Pharmasave National, and Jeff May, senior vice-president, pharmacy professional affairs and payer relations, with Shoppers Drug Mart Inc., led off with a discussion about how the quickly evolving healthcare landscape sets the stage for partnerships with private payers.

Both public and private payers are benefiting from provincial initiatives to lower generic drug prices, and the loss of patent on blockbuster drugs such as Lipitor is adding even more savings. May pointed out that some public payers are reinvesting a portion of those saved dollars into enhanced pharmacy services. Although lower generic prices have contributed to reducing drug spending, he stressed that ongoing cost issues remain. “We don’t yet know the impact of biologics entering the market, and payers still have to deal with rising utilization rates,” he explained. “One employee could cost the drug plan $35,000 a year, and employers need to make tough decisions on how to reallocate costs to ensure that benefits continue for all employees.”

Zawadzki explained that with the pharmacist’s role changing from drug dispenser to medication therapy manager, new opportunities are opening up for partnerships. The development of the Canadian Pharmacy Services Framework, as part of the Blueprint for Pharmacy initiative, has created much-needed standardized definitions and terminology that will help payers to understand the different services that pharmacy can provide.

“We need to show plan sponsors how to incorporate pharmacy services such as medication reviews, therapeutic substitution and prescription adaptation into benefits plan designs with the objective of improving employee health,” Zawadzki said. “Rather than looking at fee caps, the sponsor’s focus should be on linking health and wellness to the plan’s drug spend.”

Read the full article: The changing role of pharmacists