The question of achieving a balance between cost-efficiency and quality healthcare is at the forefront of pharmacy benefits discussions. This is where the pass-through PBM model steps in as a valuable example of transparency, offering clarity and control over prescription costs. But what exactly is the pass-through PBM approach, and how does it facilitate a clearer path to transparent pharmacy benefits management?
The Essence of Pass-Through Pharmacy Benefits Management
The essence of pass-through Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) is built around a singularly focused purpose: to establish a fully transparent relationship between all parties involved in the prescription process. This encompasses employers, members, and pharmacies. Here’s an expounded view on how this model works and delivers on its promise of transparency:
Direct Contracting for Transparent Pricing
By diminishing the layers of complexity typically found in traditional pharmacy benefits models, the pass-through approach sheds light on the actual cost of medications—exposing any potential hidden revenue streams that are often absorbed unknowingly by plan sponsors in traditional PBM arrangements.
Straightforward Fee Structure
The compensation for pass-through PBMs isn’t tied to the cost of drugs or the volume of prescription fills. Instead, they operate on a transparent fee structure, with their sole source of revenue being based on plan administration, which should result in minimizing cost. This open model means that employers know exactly what they are paying for, as well as all revenue received by the PBM, with the confidence that there are no additional profits being siphoned off unbeknownst to them.
The Beneficiary: Member Benefits Focus
With pass-through PBMs, the focus centers squarely on the welfare of the members—the individuals who need prescription medications. This member-first approach goes beyond simply providing medications; it’s about ensuring that these medications are as affordable as possible without sacrificing quality or availability. Since there are no hidden margins to cloud the cost structure, plan sponsors and beneficiaries aren’t subject to indirect fees that can inflate prescription costs.
Clarity in Cost Determination
Transparency in pricing means that plan sponsors can trace back every cent they are charged to the source. They know what the PBM reimburses the pharmacies and all revenue streams received by the pharmacy benefit manager. Employers can break down their pharmacy spend and reconcile it against actual market costs, ensuring that the fees incurred are justified and are in the best interests of their members.
Alignment with Employer’s Financial Health
A pass-through PBM model offers self-funded employers a tangible pathway to better understand and manage their pharmacy spend. By illuminating the true cost of prescription drugs, employers can accurately budget for their healthcare expenses. Furthermore, with clear data provided by pass-through PBMs, employers can actively work on strategies to manage their pharmaceutical expenses in alignment with their broader financial health objectives.
Eliminating Spread-Pricing and Concealed Revenues
Spread-pricing is a practice where traditional PBMs capitalize on the difference between what they charge plan sponsors for prescription drugs and what they actually pay pharmacies to dispense these drugs. Essentially, it’s a markup that’s not directly disclosed to employers or members, often leading to inflated costs for prescription benefits. These hidden markups can introduce significant inefficiencies and inequities within the healthcare system.
Eliminating spread-pricing and concealed revenues is a cornerstone of the pass-through PBM model, bringing forth a level of transparency and fairness that transforms how pharmacy benefits are managed. Let’s go deeper into what these terms mean and how their elimination benefits the entire healthcare system.
The Detriment of Concealed Revenues
Aside from spread-pricing, traditional PBMs might also engage in obtaining revenues through different channels that are not transparent to the plan sponsor. These can include rebates from drug manufacturers, which may not be fully passed on to the employers or might even incentivize PBMs to favor certain more expensive drugs that offer higher rebates. Such practices can misalign the interests of the PBM with those of the plan sponsors and members.
The Benefits of Removing Spread-Pricing
With the pass-through model, the veil is lifted on these practices. Spread-pricing is eliminated by ensuring that the price plan sponsors pay for medications is the same price that the PBM pays the pharmacies, with no hidden markups in between. This not only promotes fairer dealings but also allows for a more precise budgeting and cost management for plan sponsors.
Greater Cost Control for Employers
When spread-pricing is abolished, employers gain direct insight into the actual cost of the prescription drugs covered under their plans. This heightened level of transparency provides employer groups with greater control over their healthcare spend, enabling them to make more informed decisions about their prescription drug coverage and to ensure their benefit dollars are being used most effectively.
Fair Reimbursement for Pharmacies
The pass-through model also ensures that pharmacies are reimbursed fairly for the medications they dispense. By eradicating hidden revenue streams, pharmacies receive payment that reflects the true cost of the drugs, preventing financial shortfalls that can occur when traditional PBMs extract excessive spreads. This aids in maintaining healthy pharmacy operations and supports the viability of these essential healthcare providers.
Enhanced Data Access and Utilization Transparency
Another significant breakthrough with pass-through PBMs is the higher level of access to data that stakeholders receive. This detailed insight into drug cost components and utilization patterns equips employers and consultants with the necessary information to make informed decisions about their pharmacy benefits. Transparency in utilization aids in the evaluation and incentivization of the lowest-cost, most effective medications, achieving optimal outcomes for members and plan sponsors alike.
Incentivizing Low-Cost, High-Efficacy Medication Use
Incentivizing the use of low-cost, high-efficacy medications is an essential endeavor that can significantly improve healthcare outcomes while managing costs effectively. Pass-through PBMs play a critical role in this process by creating a system that rewards the choice of value-driven healthcare options. Let’s look at how this works in more detail.
Active Formulary Management
Pass-through PBMs engage in active formulary management to ensure that the list of covered medications reflects the best balance between cost and clinical effectiveness. By rigorously reviewing clinical data and evaluating cost structures, these PBMs can guide plan sponsors in selecting formularies that prefer medications with the highest efficacy and the most competitive pricing. This type of management can discourage the use of high-cost drugs when more affordable, equally effective generics or alternative therapies exist.
Educational Outreach and Support
Education plays a pivotal role in shifting prescribing habits. Pass-through PBMs provide educational materials and support to prescribers about the cost differences between medications and the clinical outcomes associated with those choices. By highlighting the potential savings without compromising care quality, prescribers become more aware of their prescribing patterns and are more likely to consider cost-effective alternatives.
Beneficiary Incentives and Programs
Members can also be directly incentivized to select more cost-effective medication options through reduced copays or by offering various educational resources to help make informed decisions. Some pass-through PBMs implement programs that support medication adherence and chronic disease management, which are tailored to ensure that cost savings do not lead to decreased quality of care.
Transparent Rebate Distribution
Pass-through PBMs often utilize a fully transparent rebate process where any rebates received from pharmaceutical manufacturers are passed back to the plan sponsors. This differs from traditional PBMs, where rebates might not be fully shared or could influence formulary design in a less cost-effective direction. By passing rebates back to the plan sponsors, incentives are aligned to keep medication costs down while still opting for the most effective treatments.
Encouragement of Member Engagement
Members are encouraged to take an active role in their healthcare choices through educational initiatives about medication options and the benefits of choosing high-efficacy, low-cost alternatives. By equipping members with tools such as cost-comparisons, pass-through PBMs facilitate informed decision-making, ultimately leading to better health outcomes and cost savings.
Supporting Local Community Pharmacies
Support for local community pharmacies is integral to maintaining the health and accessibility of care within neighborhoods across the country. The local pharmacy often serves as more than just a place to fill prescriptions; it’s a linchpin of personalized care, health education, and community well-being. Here’s an extended look at how the pass-through PBM model champions these vital institutions:
Fair Reimbursement Rates
Fair reimbursement rates are at the core of supporting local pharmacies. In traditional PBM models, pharmacies might experience reimbursement rates that don’t accurately reflect the cost of acquiring and dispensing medications, putting financial strain on these businesses. The pass-through PBM model seeks to correct this by reimbursing pharmacies at rates that acknowledge the true cost of the medications and the service the pharmacies provide. This fair payment standard ensures that local pharmacies can maintain profitability and continue to serve their communities effectively.
Streamlining Administrative Processes
The pass-through PBM model also helps local pharmacies by simplifying administrative tasks that can often be cumbersome and resource-intensive. With a transparent operational approach, pass-through PBMs can reduce the burden of complex paperwork and negotiations, freeing pharmacists to focus on delivering care rather than navigating billing procedures. This efficiency enhancement is another way the pass-through model sustains local pharmacy operations.
Encouraging Collaboration Instead of Competition
Community pharmacies can sometimes feel edged out by larger, national chains that benefit from wider reach and economies of scale. Pass-through PBMs, however, purposefully foster collaboration over competition. By treating all pharmacies fairly and not playing favorites based on size or volume, these PBMs level the playing field, allowing local pharmacies to compete more effectively. Collaboration extends to shared goals of patient care and cost management, with PBMs and pharmacies working together to find the best solutions for patients.
Local Economies and Accessibility
Local pharmacies are often more than just healthcare centers; they contribute significantly to local economies and ensure that even less densely populated areas have access to necessary services. By supporting these local businesses, pass-through PBMs contribute to the financial health of the community and help maintain the accessibility of healthcare services, especially in rural or underserved areas where larger pharmacy chains might not have a presence.
Emphasizing Personalized Service
One of the defining characteristics of local pharmacies is their ability to provide personalized service. The pass-through PBM model recognizes and values the close relationship pharmacists can have with their customers, understanding the role it plays in effective health outcomes. By supporting these businesses financially and operationally, pass-through PBMs enable pharmacists to continue offering the level of personal care and attention that is their hallmark.
MaxCare: A Commitment to Community and Cost-Efficiency
The pass-through PBM model is reshaping the way pharmacy benefits are managed by placing transparency, simplicity, and member benefits at the forefront. It is a viable and transformative alternative that empowers plan sponsors with insights that were previously obscured, thereby fostering a more efficient and fair pharmaceutical landscape for all stakeholders involved.
In the pursuit of driving members to the lowest-cost, most effective medications, it is vital for PBMs to remain devoted to transparency and efficiency. This is where our commitment to the community and member well-being stands tall. The fully transparent and pass-through PBM model, embraced and promoted, upholds the belief in fair treatment of local pharmacies and a streamlined pathway to affordable medications for members.