5 Tips to Maximize Your Member Benefit

For many Americans, January marks the start of a new pharmacy benefit plan. Each year, employers and benefit providers adjust benefit plans to align with new copayment structures, preferred formularies and pharmacy network options.

As your new pharmacy benefit manager, it is our mission to ensure members, like you, receive their medications safely and quickly at the lowest cost. With this in mind, here are some tips and tools to maximize your pharmacy benefit:

• Home Delivery is a safe, convenient option to obtain prescription medications that you use regularly. Many pharmacy plans will provide you with up to a 90-day supply of your medication for a lower copayment, which adds up to 25% average savings.
• For single-fill prescriptions, our preferred network of more than 70,000 pharmacies nationwide improves on the cost and convenience of the pharmacy experience for our 100 million members. To achieve optimal savings, make sure your pharmacy is in the network before placing an order by logging into the member site and clicking on “Locate a Pharmacy” under the Prescriptions tab.
• Generics also provide members with savings opportunities. Many plans offer significantly reduced copayments when you use a generic – and some may even charge you a penalty if you choose a brand when a generic equivalent is available. Regularly review your medications with your doctor or pharmacist and ask if a generic is available. You can also check this on the Express Scripts mobile app through the “Price a Medication” feature. Click here to learn more about downloading the Express Scripts mobile app.
• Staying adherent to medication is vital to the health of our members, especially those managing chronic conditions. Simply by taking medicines as directed, members may require fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations and avoid extra tests. For example, our research shows that diabetes patients who remained adherent to their medication were far less likely to require costly interventions, like hospitalizations and ER visits.
• Express Scripts pharmacists work behind the scenes to keep patients safe and healthy, providing round-the-clock assistance. Our pharmacists can review your total prescription history – and in some cases, your medical and lab histories – to provide comprehensive care and counseling. At Express Scripts, we also have pharmacists that specialize in different diseases, affording a greater level of support and care to patients with chronic conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

By taking advantage of these resources, we can make 2019 a healthy and happy year for you and your family.