Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) helps industry professionals manage pharmacy benefit programs through research-based drug benefit education.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (December 8, 2008) – U.S. employers remain highly satisfied with their pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), according to the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s (PBMI) 2008 Pharmacy Benefit Manager Customer Satisfaction Report released today. For the third year, PBMI’s report also shows that financial transparency in the PBM relationship influences employer satisfaction with PBM performance.
“Our research findings consistently illustrate that aligned incentives and transparent financial arrangements set the stage for the highest levels of satisfaction,” says PBMI President Dana H. Felthouse, MBA.
PBMI’s annual PBM Customer Satisfaction Survey asks employers to rate their own PBMs on three overall satisfaction measures and 15 dimensions of service. In addition to trend information on employer satisfaction, the report provides profiles of 14 individual PBMs.
“The profiles are a result of employers rating their own PBMs based on their own experiences,” says Felthouse. “Employers are not asked to compare and rank order multiple PBMs.”
The trend line for employer satisfaction with PBMs shows little change in 2008 compared to prior years, indicating that perceptions of PBM performance are consistently positive. Using a 10-point scale where 10 indicates the highest level of satisfaction, employers gave PBMs an average rating of 8.0 for overall service and performance.
Employers who indicate they are “extremely satisfied” with the financial transparency of their PBM relationship gave their PBMs an average overall service performance rating of 9.1. By comparison, employers who are “somewhat satisfied” gave their PBMs an average performance rating of 7.6. Those who are “extremely dissatisfied” rated their PBM’s performance an average of 4.7. Satisfaction with transparency impacts performance ratings in a similar way on the 15 individual service dimensions.
This year, 275 employers representing 11.3 million benefit plan members responded to PBMI’s fax-back survey. After a successful 14-year run with the fax-back survey, PBMI will move to online data capture for 2009. The methodology change also provides an opportunity to expand the research questions to meet the evolving information needs of the marketplace.
The report is available for purchase at www.pbmi.com or 480-730-0814.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (November 19, 2008) – The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s (PBMI) 2009 Drug Benefit Conference will focus on helping employers and other payers tackle potent market forces impacting the return on investment in the prescription drug benefit. The PBMI conference, to be held March 4-6, 2009 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix, will arm benefits and pharmacy professionals with winning strategies and valuable decision-making information.
“Drug benefit decisions can significantly increase or decrease other health benefit costs, including medical, dental, disability and workers’ compensation,” says PBMI President Dana H. Felthouse, MBA. “In these tough economic times, employers and other health care payers must adopt strategies that contain costs while also improving the health and productivity of the workforce.PBMI’s conference will identify strategies to accomplish these goals.”
Conference faculty will outline ways to mitigate the increasing cost of workforce obesity and strategies to increase compliance with medications crucial to controlling chronic health conditions. Health informatics experts will demonstrate tools to model and measure financial implications of value-based benefit designs. An employee benefits attorney will discuss the critical legal considerations when designing wellness incentives. Other sessions will address market dynamics influencing the growth of biotech drugs, the evolution of convenience care, and the case for health care vs. sick care.
Breakout tracks have been designed for benefits generalists and for managed case pharmacy experts. Roundtable discussions for different purchaser segments will allow participants to discuss successful approaches to shared challenges. Discussion groups will be held for fully-insured, Medicare Part D, self-insured, public sector, unions and third-party administrator segments.
PBMI also will offer in-depth pre-conference workshops on drug benefit management, specialty pharmacy, and technology tools. Continuing pharmacy education credit will be offered for the workshops and the managed care pharmacy breakout sessions.
Agenda, Registration Online
A complete agenda, speaker information and registration for the conference and pre-conference workshops are available at www.pbmi.com/conference.asp. Low-cost registration options are available for employers, employer coalitions, managed care organizations, unions, trusts and third-party administrators. There are discounts for all registrations received before January 16, 2009.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (November 14, 2008) – The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) is accepting final submissions for its 7th annual Rx Benefit Innovation Awards, which showcase innovative solutions to managing cost and quality in drug benefit programs. The deadline for submitting entries is December 19, 2008.
“PBMI wants to recognize organizations that address drug benefit program challenges with new and different solutions,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI. “Measurable outcomes are a hallmark of effective solutions. Past award winners have made significant improvements to drug benefit program design and administration.”
Nominees may be employers and other sponsors of drug benefit programs, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), or any other organization involved in the delivery of drug benefit programs. Award entries need to include a letter to PBMI describing a drug benefit challenge, target audience, objectives, implementation plan, metrics and results. The strongest entries clearly describe quantifiable results tied to program objectives.
Award winners will be honored at PBMI's 14th annual Drug Benefit Conference to be held March 4-6, 2009 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix. The conference draws 400 human resource executives, health plan executives, pharmacy directors, benefits consultants and pharmacy benefit managers.
Past award recipients include AmeriHealth Mercy/Perform Rx, Cingular Wireless, Cypress Care, Catalyst Rx, U.S. Department of Defense TRICARE Management Activity, ePocrates, Express Scripts, HR Policy Association Pharmaceutical Purchasing Coalition, Medco Health Solutions, MemberHealth LLC, Memorial Health System, State of Louisiana Office of Group Benefits (OGB) and Catalyst Rx, PharmaCare and Polk County Board of County Commissioners, Prescription Solutions, SXC Health Solutions, Inc., University of Michigan, and Upper Peninsula Health Plan with the Upper Peninsula Health Care Network.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
Princeton, New Jersey and Scottsdale, Ariz., (October 23, 2008) – Kaplan EduNeering, a leading provider of compliance and knowledge management solutions, and the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute, LP (PBMI) have formed an alliance to provide learning solutions for professionals involved in the delivery of drug benefit programs. Under the alliance, Kaplan and PBMI will develop a unique curriculum for human resource executives, benefit professionals, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and managed care professionals.
“Our alliance will create online courses for organizations involved in managing the drug benefit for group health and Medicare Part D beneficiaries as well as specialized populations including Medicaid and workers compensation,” said Martha Braunstein, Senior Vice President and Healthcare Practice Leader for Kaplan EduNeering. “The training solutions will enable our health plan clients and PBMI customers to improve their benefit programs, business performance and customer service while also achieving compliance with the newest Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements.”
“Stakeholders in the pharmacy benefit arena are committed to working effectively with their partners and customers to better manage drug benefit programs,” said Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI. “Through our partnership with Kaplan, PBMI will be able to offer more adult learning tools.”
In addition to new pharmacy benefit learning content, PBMI members and customers will have access to Kaplan EduNeering’s library of health care, risk management and human resource development libraries.These libraries contain more than 100 courses on subjects ranging from Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Medicare Part D to employee relations and performance management.
About Kaplan EduNeering
Kaplan EduNeering (www.kaplaneduneering.com) is part of Kaplan, Inc., a leading global provider of educational services to individuals, schools and businesses.Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). Kaplan EduNeering develops technology-enabled knowledge solutions for assuring regulatory compliance and improving business performance. Kaplan EduNeering is headquartered in Princeton, NJ, and has offices in Eatontown, NJ, Houston, TX, Bloomsburg, PA, and London, UK.
About PBMI
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (www.pbmi.com) provides research, continuing education, and Web resources to help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (October 15, 2008) – More employers are using three- and four-tier drug benefit designs to encourage plan member use of low cost prescription medications, according to research findings from the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s (PBMI) Prescription Drug Benefit Cost and Plan Design Report 2008-09 Edition. The research also shows that the average member cost share for generics, preferred brand and nonpreferred brand-name drugs has increased.
“Employers are effectively using multiple tools to keep their rate of drug cost increases to an average of 4.86%, the lowest rate since PBMI began conducting this survey in 1995,” said Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, PBMI president. “This is a decline of 2% from last year’s survey. In addition to multi-tiered formularies, employers are using generic dispensing incentives, negotiated pharmacy reimbursement, and a broad range of utilization management approaches to control costs.”
PBMI’s Prescription Drug Benefit Cost and Plan Design Report provides trending information on plan design and utilization. It also includes employer responses to questions about:
Copayments, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums;
Specific drug inclusions, exclusions and benefit limits;
Coordination with Medicare Part D for retiree coverage;
Specialty pharmacy cost sharing and dispensing;
Per member per month utilization metrics; and
Utilization management tools.
The survey was completed by 223 employers representing more than 15.1 million members.
PBMI gratefully acknowledges the support of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America (TPNA), Inc. for the provision of a grant to cover costs incurred in the production of this report. TPNA has no access to the individual responses or raw data gathered, nor do any other third parties. This protects the confidentiality of the survey respondents and ensures the independence and objectivity of this report.
Takeda has sponsored publication of the Prescription Drug Benefit Cost and Plan Design Report since 2001. Because the data set is so expansive, Takeda also has underwritten the development of supplemental resources at www.pbmi.com to make research findings easy to access and use in benefit planning. Copies of the new report also are available at www.pbmi.com.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, and educational tools to help health care benefit executives work effectively with pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (September 23, 2008) –The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) is accepting entries for its 7th annual Rx Benefit Innovation Awards to showcase innovative approaches to managing cost and quality in drug benefit programs. Nominees may be employers and other sponsors of drug benefit programs, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), or any other organization involved in the delivery of drug benefit programs.
“PBMI wants to recognize organizations and industry partnerships that address drug benefit program challenges with new and different solutions,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI. “Measurable outcomes are a hallmark of effective solutions. Past award winners have made significant improvements to drug benefit program design and administration.”
Award recipients will be honored at PBMI's 14th annual Drug Benefit Conference to be held March 4-6, 2009 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix. The conference, which draws 400 human resource executives, health plan executives, pharmacy directors, benefits consultants and pharmacy benefit managers, is dedicated to curbing costs and maximizing quality of drug benefit programs.
Award entries should include a letter to PBMI describing a drug benefit challenge, target audience, objectives, implementation plan, metrics, and results. The strongest entries clearly describe quantifiable results tied to program objectives. Supporting materials such as member education materials, news releases, news clippings or letters of support from colleagues, customers or members, may be included with entries. The deadline for submitting nominees is December 15, 2008.
Past award recipients include AmeriHealth Mercy/Perform Rx, Cingular Wireless, Cypress Care, Catalyst Rx, U.S. Department of Defense TRICARE Management Activity, ePocrates, Express Scripts, HR Policy Association Pharmaceutical Purchasing Coalition, Medco Health Solutions, MemberHealth LLC, Memorial Health System, State of Louisiana Office of Group Benefits (OGB) and Catalyst Rx, PharmaCare and Polk County Board of County Commissioners, Prescription Solutions, SXC Health Solutions, Inc., University of Michigan, and Upper Peninsula Health Plan with the Upper Peninsula Health Care Network.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., August 4, 2008 —Research fielding is underway on the industry’s leading customer satisfaction survey for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) conducted annually by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute, LP (PBMI). PBMI is encouraging employers nationwide to participate.
Now in its 14th year, the one-page, fax-back survey asks employers to rate their PBMs on overall performance and 17 dimensions of service. Ratings address service functions in the areas of plan design support, administrative functions, network design and management, clinical services, specialty pharmacy, and member Websites.
Results of the survey are published in PBMI’s annual PBM Customer Satisfaction Report, widely recognized for providing valuable information to benefit executives responsible for researching, selecting and managing PBM services.
“PBMI’s customer satisfaction study provides comparative information on the performance of individual PBMs,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI. “Our report also features trend information about PBM performance at a detail level. From the PBM’s perspective, the report provides insights about the services that have the greatest impact on improving customer satisfaction.”
Employers who have not received a survey and are interested in participating should contact Jenny Powers at PBMI at 480-730-0814 or info@pbmi.comwith the contact information of the person responsible for managing the organization’s PBM relationship. Survey participants will receive a free copy of the 2008 PBM Customer Satisfaction Report.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, education and Web resources to help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., – June 16, 2008 – The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) is calling for speaker proposals to address drug benefit management topics for its 2009 Drug Benefit Conference. The conference will be held March 4-6, 2009 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix. Deadline for speaker proposals is August 29, 2008.
PBMI is the industry’s only organization dedicated exclusively to helping health care purchasers improve the value of their drug benefit plans. “Now in its 14th year, our annual conference has a long-standing reputation for educating the industry on the best approaches for managing the drug benefit,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI.
Presentations that feature case studies of successful solutions to drug benefit challenges are preferred. Topics of particular interest are:
Creating the business case for benefit changes and innovations
Models of successful value-based benefit designs
Integrating pharmacy, medical and lab data
Quantifying the return on investment in value-based plans
Specialty pharmacy plan designs and implementation strategies
Strategies to increase medication compliance and eliminate polypharmacy issues
ePrescribing and other technology solutions
PBMI wants proposals from articulate industry experts for presentations that educate employers, health plans, union groups, and third-party administrators. Proposals should be non-promotional and free of commercial bias.
“We offer sessions for benefits generalists who spend 25 percent or less of their time on the drug benefit as well as for benefits specialists and pharmacy directors who are almost exclusively focused on the drug benefit,” says Felthouse. “Some of our attendees want to know more about the fundamentals of working with their pharmacy benefit managers. Others want more technical information.”
Speakers are needed for general sessions and breakout sessions in three tracks: HR Perspectives, Managed Care Perspectives and Industry Trends. The Managed Care Perspectives sessions will qualify for continuing pharmacy education credit. Speakers also will be needed to lead roundtable discussions, an added feature of PBMI’s 2009 conference.
Proposals should be submitted online at www.pbmi.com/conference.asp. Speakers will be notified in early fall.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., – (May 19, 2008 ) – Research fielding is underway on the nation’s leading survey dedicated to drug benefit cost and plan design, conducted annually by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI). PBMI is encouraging employers and other sponsors of drug benefit programs to participate in this online survey.
Now in its 13th year, PBMI’s Prescription Drug Benefit Cost and Plan Design Survey documents decisions that organizations are making about tier placement, copayments and coinsurance, drug-specific benefit and out-of-pocket maximums, maintenance drugs, specialty pharmacy, Medicare Part D, pharmacy network design, and reimbursement rates.It also captures data on per member per month utilization and utilization management tools such as academic detailing, copayment relief, and step therapy.
“Widespread participation in this survey enables PBMI to provide the industry with a comprehensive overview of U.S. trends in prescription drugs,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI.“The annual report, available in both print and online formats, is a valued reference for benefits and pharmacy professionals responsible for designing and managing drug benefit programs.”
PBMI gratefully acknowledges the support of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America (TPNA), Inc. for the provision of a grant to cover costs incurred in the production of the print and online reports. TPNA has no access to the individual responses or raw data gathered, nor do any other third parties. This protects the confidentiality of the survey respondents and ensures the independence and objectivity of this report.
Employers who have not received a survey invitation are interested in participating should contact PBMI at 480-730-9814 or info@pbmi.comfor the Web link and log-on credentials. Survey participants will receive a copy of the print report. They also will be entered into a drawing for one of three free passes to the 2009 PBMI Drug Benefit Conference to be held March 4-6, 2009 in Phoenix.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (May 14, 2008) --The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) has released 2008 stakeholder research on three emerging drug benefit trends: value-based benefit design, new models of community pharmacy, and Medicare Part D challenges. Key findings on the adoption, opportunity and challenges of these market trends are discussed in three new white papers available at www.pbmi.com/research.asp.
“PBMI’s mission is to provide information that helps the purchasers of drug benefit services make decisions to increase the value of their investment. We want to better understand the experiences stakeholders are having with new approaches to drug benefit design and management,” says PBMI President Dana H. Felthouse, MBA.
Efforts to Improve Outcomes, Health Status
“Although the marketplace is working in earnest to implement a range of value-based approaches to the drug benefit, PBMI’s research indicates it is still early in the adoption cycle,” says Felthouse. “Employers, health plans and pharmacy benefit managers are grappling with a myriad of implementation challenges and the need to better quantify the return on investment.”
Early adopters of value-based health management and drug benefit design have been successful in increasing medication adherence and improving health status of covered populations. Similarly, employers, health plans and pharmacy benefit managers are working with pharmacists in new ways to help improve the quality of medication regimens and patient outcomes.
“The practice of community pharmacy is changing, with services that range from high tech to high touch,” says Felthouse. “While it also is early in the adoption cycle of face-to-face pharmacist consults for patient care and condition management, stakeholders recognize there is a clear value for pharmacists to serve as patient coaches.”
Managing Medicare Part D
PBMI’s stakeholder research on Medicare Part D indicates that all involved continue to struggle to communicate and implement rapidly changing requirements. The overarching challenge for stakeholders is the sometimes vague and constantly changing definitions, requirements, and processes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“In the midst of the hard work required to comply, it’s important to remember the market opportunities and potential innovation inherent in Medicare Part D,” says Felthouse.
PBMI surveyed a cross-section of stakeholders, including employers, health plans and other payers; pharmacy benefit managers; pharmaceutical companies; and other industry participants, who were pre-registered for its 2008 Drug Benefit Conference. Findings from this online survey were integrated with information gathered through town hall forums conducted during the conference. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., February 28, 2008 — The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) has awarded its 2008 Rx Benefit Innovation Awards to MemberHealth, LLC; Office of Group Benefits (OGB), State of Louisiana with Catalyst Rx, A HealthExtras Company; and the Upper Peninsula Health Plan with the Upper Peninsula Health Care Network.
MemberHealth, LLC, a subsidiary of Universal American Corp., is being recognized for a letter-based initiative that increased HIV patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy among Medicare Part D beneficiaries. The initiative measurably improved medication possession ratios, an indicator of increased patient adherence. The Louisiana OGB and Catalyst Rx are being recognized jointly for a model physician outreach program that significantly increased prescribing and utilization of generic drugs, resulting in a three-year savings of $28 million in drug spend. Rural Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Health Plan (UPHP) and the Upper Peninsula Health Care Network (UPHCN) are being recognized for implementing a regional, cooperative formulary management system. The project resulted in improved prescribing as well as cost savings for the health plan and network providers.
“Our 2008 award recipients have collaborated with drug benefit stakeholders—physicians, pharmacists and patients themselves—to improve the quality of the drug benefit they offer,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI. “Their efforts are truly best practices that should be emulated and adopted by others to improve prescribing and increase patient adherence.”
MemberHealth administers benefits for the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan, Community CCRxsm. MemberHealth used pharmacy claims data to identify HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy who had a medication possession ratio (MPR) of less than 95 percent. MemberHealth sent letters to the physicians of 1,285 members with patient-specific MPR data and encouraged them to talk with patients about compliance. Ninety days after the intervention, 46 percent of the targeted health plan members achieved an MPR greater than 95 percent.
The Prescriber Education and Intervention Program implemented by Catalyst Rx for the Louisiana OGB focuses on top prescribing physicians. A partnership approach among Catalyst Rx clinical pharmacists and physicians, use of plan-specific data to model generic drug savings potential, and ongoing prescriber education are integral elements of the program. It has contributed significantly to a 5 percent increase in OGB’s generic substitution rate and a 7.2 percent increase in its generic utilization rate.
UPHP and UPHCN partnered to develop a regional pharmacy and therapeutics committee. The ongoing committee includes physician and pharmacist representation from the health plan, the health care network, and 15 network hospitals. To date, the committee has reviewed 25 drug classes, completed 24 comprehensive new drug reviews, and implemented two treatment protocols. Project partners can access the reviews and protocols on the committee’s new Website. As a result of revised formularies and informed evidence-based prescribing, UPHP’s per member per month drug cost decreased 21 percent from 2003 to 2006. Network hospitals saved $381,000 in drug costs in 2007.
PBMI Educates Industry
The sixth annual Rx Benefit Innovation Awards were presented today at PBMI’s 13th annual Drug Benefit Conference at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix. Past winners include AmeriHealth Mercy/Perform Rx, Cingular Wireless, Cypress Care, Catalyst Rx, Department of Defense TRICARE Management Activity, ePocrates, Express Scripts, HR Policy Association Pharmaceutical Purchasing Coalition, Medco Health Solutions, Memorial Health System, PharmaCare and the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, Prescription Solutions, SXC Health Solutions, Inc., and University of Michigan.
More than 350 industry professionals involved in the design and administration of drug benefit programs attend the nation’s premier meeting dedicated to drug benefit management. PBMI provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources to help health care purchasers work effectively with pharmacy benefit managers and other industry professionals to improve pharmacy benefit programs and control costs. Read case studies on award winners at http://www.pbmi.com/.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (February 5, 2008) – The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s (PBMI) 2008 Drug Benefit Conference scheduled for Feb. 26-29 in Phoenix offers free continuing education credit for both pharmacy and human resource professionals.
“The PBMI Drug Benefit Conference offers a blend of formal and informal training for all of the professional disciplines involved in the design and administration of the pharmacy benefit,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI. “Our 2008 faculty bring some of the best thinking in the marketplace about how to effectively manage drug benefit programs. Pharmacists and human resource professionals alike will benefit from this continuing education conference.”
The PBMI conference is dedicated to curbing costs and maximizing quality in drug benefit programs. It addresses the needs of human resource managers, pharmacy directors, benefits consultants, information technology experts, and attorneys who plan and manage drug benefit programs for employees, retirees, union groups, trusts or health plan members.
Pharmacists
Northeastern University Bouve College of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Participants attending each of four sessions in the Managed Care Pharmacy Perspectives track will be awarded one contact hour of continuing education (CE) credit. Candidates must complete an online evaluation form for each session attended to receive credit.
HR Professionals
PBMI’s conference has been approved for 9.5 recertification credit hours toward the Human Resource Certification Institute’s accreditation programs including Professional in Human Resources (PHR®), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®), and Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR™).
Recertification credit also is available for the Certified Compensation Professional (CCP®), Certified Benefits Professional (CBPTM), Global Remuneration Professional (GRP®), and Work-Life Certified Professional (WLCP®) designations granted by WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals.
Attorneys
Health care attorneys interested in obtaining MCLE credit should contact their state bar associations to request credit for attending the PBMI conference.
Conference Agenda, Registration Available Online
A complete agenda, speaker information, and registration for the conference are available at www.pbmi.com/conference.asp.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (January 30, 2008) – The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute will host three Town Hall forums during its 2008 Drug Benefit Conference to better understand how employers and other drug benefit stakeholders can benefit from industry trends. The forum discussions will focus on what’s working and what challenges remain to be tackled on three issues: Emerging Models of Community Pharmacy in Patient Care, Medicare Part D Coverage/Products, and Value-based Pharmacy Benefit Design. Everyone attending the PBMI conference, February 26-29 in Phoenix, can choose to participate in one of the Town Hall forums.
Key questions to be discussed include:
How has the industry been successful in delivering Medicare Part D benefits?
Why are community pharmacists successful in helping patients with disease management?
What are the long-term implications of value-based drug benefit plan design?
“This is a chance for all stakeholders – employers, pharmacy benefit managers, benefits consultants, and industry partners – to hear how their colleagues are capitalizing on new opportunities to increase the value of drug benefit programs,” says PBMI President Dana H. Felthouse, MBA. The forums are one of several ways PBMI has enhanced conference programming to encourage more discussion and idea sharing among attendees.”
Following the conference, PBMI will publish white papers on the Town Hall topics. The white papers, to be published electronically, will be available free to conference attendees. They will include insights, solutions and challenges shared by Town Hall participants, as well as information from secondary research.
Conference Agenda, Registration Available Online
In addition to the Town Hall forums, the 2008 PBMI Drug Benefit Conference offers an educational track for human resource managers, technical programming for managed care pharmacy professionals, and an industry trends track. There are eight general sessions. Immediately before the conference, PBMI is offering a half-day workshop for benefits generalists on the essentials of managing the prescription drug benefit.
A complete agenda, speaker information, and registration for PBMI’s conference are available at www.pbmi.com/conference.asp.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
PBMI Conference Faculty to Address Trends in Managing Drug Benefit
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (January 30, 2008) – The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute will host three Town Hall forums during its 2008 Drug Benefit Conference to better understand how employers and other drug benefit stakeholders can benefit from industry trends. The forum discussions will focus on what’s working and what challenges remain to be tackled on three issues: Emerging Models of Community Pharmacy in Patient Care, Medicare Part D Coverage/Products, and Value-based Pharmacy Benefit Design. Everyone attending the PBMI conference, February 26-29 in Phoenix, can choose to participate in one of the Town Hall forums.
Key questions to be discussed include:
How has the industry been successful in delivering Medicare Part D benefits?
Why are community pharmacists successful in helping patients with disease management?
What are the long-term implications of value-based drug benefit plan design?
“This is a chance for all stakeholders – employers, pharmacy benefit managers, benefits consultants, and industry partners – to hear how their colleagues are capitalizing on new opportunities to increase the value of drug benefit programs,” says PBMI President Dana H. Felthouse, MBA. The forums are one of several ways PBMI has enhanced conference programming to encourage more discussion and idea sharing among attendees.”
Following the conference, PBMI will publish white papers on the Town Hall topics. The white papers, to be published electronically, will be available free to conference attendees. They will include insights, solutions and challenges shared by Town Hall participants, as well as information from secondary research.
Conference Agenda, Registration Available Online
In addition to the Town Hall forums, the 2008 PBMI Drug Benefit Conference offers an educational track for human resource managers, technical programming for managed care pharmacy professionals, and an industry trends track. There are eight general sessions. Immediately before the conference, PBMI is offering a half-day workshop for benefits generalists on the essentials of managing the prescription drug benefit.
A complete agenda, speaker information, and registration for PBMI’s conference are available at www.pbmi.com/conference.asp.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
PBMI Offers New Drug Benefit Training Workshop
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (January 8, 2008) – As part of its 2008 Drug Benefit Conference, the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute will offer a new, half-day workshop for benefits generalists on the essentials of managing the prescription drug benefit. The workshop will be held the morning of Feb. 27, 2008, before the opening of PBMI’s Drug Benefit Conference, which runs from February 27-29 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix.
Now in its 13th year, the PBMI Drug Benefit Conference advances best practices that help employers, union groups and other drug benefit purchasers realize the greatest return from their investment. The 2008 conference will feature an educational track for human resource managers, technical programming for managed care pharmacy professionals, and an industry trends track.
“PBMI’s new workshop is designed for benefits generalists who spend only a small portion of their time overseeing the drug benefit, but want to understand more about what they’re buying and how to manage the investment,” says PBMI President Dana H. Felthouse, MBA. “The workshop also will be valuable for professionals new to drug benefit management.”
The “Essential Training Workshop for Drug Benefit Management” will be taught by recognized industry leaders. The 2008 faculty includes Felthouse; Estay Greene, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy Benefits, Cleveland Health Network/Cleveland Clinic; and Jerrell Riley, CEBS, Associate Director, H&W Benefits Design, AT&T Wireless. After completing the workshop, participants will be able to:
Analyze the factors that impact the cost and quality of the employee drug benefit,
Identify metrics necessary to evaluate the performance of the organization’s drug benefit program, and
Assess changes that can decrease drug spend and increase the value of the pharmacy benefit.
Online resources, in-class exercises and group discussions will provide information that human resource professionals can use immediately on the job. A key advantage of the workshop will be access to workshop faculty after the training for ongoing coaching as benefits managers implement ideas learned in the workshop.
More information on PBMI’s workshop and Drug Benefit Conference is available at www.pbmi.com/conference.asp.
The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute provides research, continuing education, publications and Web resources that help health care benefit executives work effectively with their pharmacy benefit managers to improve the design and management of drug benefit programs. Learn more at www.pbmi.com.
