Before Signing Contract How to select, then monitor a pharmacy benefit management company, from a consultant and former HMO director of pharmacy services. Using the Internet to purchase prescription drugs is increasingly popular, but some government regulators and managed care professionals say it can also be dangerous. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration argues that electronic commerce can bypass or undermine the safeguards offered by direct medical supervision. Cost pressures that plans associate with rising drug expenditures result partly from their own largesse. Restore consumerism and forge a common agenda with drug companies.
Health plans hope to rein in utilization by raising pharmacy copayments.
Whether the scheme works or backfires depends on how it's implemented. The new president of the American Pharmaceutical Association foresees greater cooperation between pharmacists, physicians, and health plans. Now, online outlets are alternate retail sites. But if they can help physicians and plans solve medication compliance problems, they will be formidable. Not surprisingly, many uninsured adults either do not get or postpone care they need.