Computer discount education

NEW YORK -- Beginning May 3, seniors can enroll in the Medicare-approved drug discount card program of their choice, with benefits beginning as of June 1. With 28 private sponsors approved late last month, including some sponsors offering more than one drug discount card, seniors have any number of programs from which to choose.

Sponsors like Computer Sciences Corp. are distinguishing themselves from the pack to capture a niche Medicare consumer, along with a substantial profit. CSC, for example, is the only private card sponsor offering transitional assistance to American Indians and Alaska Natives. It is also one of three Medicare drug discount card sponsors picked to serve residents of long-term care facilities nationwide.

CSC, which offers the Criterion Advantage and the Golden Buckeye cards through separate partnerships, also has teamed with the National Community Pharmacists Association, the Senior Care Pharmacy Alliance and Member Health (administrator of the Golden Buckeye senior discount program in Ohio) to provide the Community Care Rx card. CSC estimates the agreements have a value to the company of $46 million over the next 20 months.

While sponsors currently are barred from advertising, beginning May 3 they can promote their programs to seniors. "We are precluded from marketing our specific product [until then]," said Louis Hogan, director of pharmacy programs for CSC.

In the meantime, NCPA is leading an effort to educate community pharmacists on the jointly offered Community Care Rx card and the nuances of the newly passed Medicare law.

On its Web site, it lists companies and organizations endorsing the Community Care Rx card, including AmerisourceBergen, Drug Fair, Familymeds, Medicine Shoppe and Thrifty White. It also provides unbranded full-color and black-and-white posters for in-store display meant to encourage dialogue between pharmacists and patients. Further, customizable letters are available for community pharmacies to send to local physicians and senior centers advising them that community pharmacists can help enroll patients in drug discount card programs.

The NCPA also is offering a free continuing education program called Medicare Discount Cards: Understanding What Lies Ahead. The CE program covers the basics of the Medicare law for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy staff.

Bruce Roberts, NCPA executive vice president and chief executive officer, said given the numerous marketplace entries into the discount card arena, NCPA's leadership thought it best to design a discount card program with the interests of community pharmacists and their patients at the forefront.

According to Roberts, one of NCPA s primary goals in offering the card is to best position community pharmacists for the implementation of a full Medicare drug benefit program in 2006. Our overriding goal is to keep your Medicare patients in your pharmacy," Roberts told NCPA members in a letter.

Meijer also is using the Web to provide further information on the new drug discount cards. It posted a link to its site where Medicare recipients can find more information by clicking on the icon "New Medicare Benefits are Coming, Learn More," which segues to a listing of the "Top 10 Facts about the New Medicare Benefits."

"We want our patients to know that Meijer is committed to providing them the latest service and programs designed to manage their overall health care coverage," said Mike Major, vice president of pharmacy operations at Meijer.

With its proactive approach, Meijer embodies the words of National Association of Chain Drug Stores' president and chief executive officer Craig Fuller. In his April 5 news brief to members, entitled "Give Drug Discount Cards a Chance," Fuller said the time for debating the drug discount program ended when Congress passed the law creating the new Medicare drug benefit and the president signed it.

"While we at NACDS have had real concerns about the ability of discount cards to deliver meaningful savings, it is becoming clear that the 2004 cards are going to be different than what we have seen in the past," Fuller said. "With the pharmaceutical manufacturers making price concessions and the retail pharmacies doing the same as they join various networks, the savings from the Medicare-endorsed prescription drug cards are likely to be greater than others in the marketplace. Indeed, we now believe that the Pharmacy Care Alliance card can do somewhat better than the expectation.

The PCA card is a joint offering between NACDS and Express Scripts.

Information on the PCA card is available now through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Web site at www.medicare.gov. On the site is the Guide to Choosing a Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card," which takes seniors through a series of questions before providing a listing of available cards in their area. The listing includes card names, program sponsors, contact information and important notes detailing specific aspects of the card.

For instance, a senior living within the ZIP Code 10022 is eligible for the PrecisionDiscounts card, sponsored by WellPoint Pharmacy Management, and one of only a small handful of cards that waive an enrollment fee, which can be as high as $30. Also, beginning April 29, Medicare recipients will have the capability to compare prescription drug prices offered by card sponsors.