Many seniors looking for a Medicare Part D prescription plan turn to pharmacists for advice—how do some chains help them to choose the right plan?
Ms. Farley is a freelance medical writer
based in Wakefield, Rhode Island.
During open enrollment, many
seniors looking for a Medicare
Part D prescription plan to
meet their medication needs and
budgets turn to their trusted pharmacists
to help them make the right decision.
With a large population of patients
seeking assistance, how do
some of the chains help them choose
the right plan?
Although many Medicare-eligible
patients may stay with their current
coverage, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) predicted that
90% of current Medicare Part D beneficiaries
would have the option of
enrolling in a different plan for 2008 at
a lower cost than what they are currently
paying. Our survey of some of
the top chains revealed many in-store
and Web-based solutions to this challenge
of educating patients.
Walgreens: Similar to its effort in
previous years to help patients select
the right Medicare Part D program,
Walgreens provides individualized
reports to seniors who visit their local
pharmacy. The report is generated in
the store and is based on what medications
each patient is taking. The
result is a valuable tool to help enrollees
select the right plan based on
their situations.
Albertsons/SUPERVALU: SUPERVALU
Pharmacies has taken on the
challenge of providing assistance to
Medicare Part D patients by educating
staff about Medicare Part D and training
pharmacists to assist patients with
accessing official Medicare and CMS
Drug Plan Finder Web sites. The chain
also provides patients with the government's
800 number for Medicare information
as well as a SUPERVALU brochure
that provides a general description
of Medicare Part D.
Longs: Longs Drugs offers a toll-free
line for patients to order a free report
with information to help them decide
on the right Part D plan. This fact sheet
also is available in the store. In fact, as
a store promotion, November was
Medicare Drug Benefit Awareness
month at Longs in an effort to encourage
patients to look into their benefit
plans and ask questions of pharmacists
who could help patients understand
how the program works.
Kerr Drug: On the Kerr Drug Web
site, a link to the Medicare site directs
patients to the government Web site
and all the information provided on
Part D plans.
CVS: CVS implemented a customized
online resource—CVS Plan
Comparison Tool—on the RxNet home
page under the link, 2008 Medicare
Prescription Plan Benefit. In addition to
helping patients choose the right plan
for them, it provides a list of all the
plans available based on geographic
location. The patient fills out an information
request form, and the pharmacist
enters in the patient information,
following the screen prompts. Once
the comparison is complete, the pharmacist
prints a copy for the patient and
explains the plan selection process.
The pharmacist can also refer to information
provided on RxNet for specific
talking points when counseling
enrollees.
Rite Aid: This chain offers patients a
free guide detailing Medicare prescription
options. Rite Aid pharmacists also
are trained in Medicare Part D, so they
can answer questions. In addition, Rite
Aid has a Web site, www.riteaid.com/medicareadvisor, that lets patients
compare prices and plans for their
area. The Web site has details on each
plan, deadlines, side-by-side comparisons,
and for some plans, a link to
online enrollment. Rite Aid also has
established a partnership with AARP/United Healthcare, Aetna, and Well-Point to produce in-store literature on
the different plans. This guide offers
step-by-step instructions for selecting
the plan to best suit patients' various
prescription needs.
