This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.
Express Scripts is one of the pharmacy benefit managers competing in the US that provides a wide range of services to its clients. These include negotiating discounts from drugstores, offering safer and more affordable pharmacy channels which includes mail-service pharmacies and processes pharmaceutical claims for members at network pharmacies and at their own mail order pharmacies.
They also provide services to manage drug plans for government agencies, corporations, and unions. One of their largest clients is the United States Department of Defense’s TRICARE program.
On the other hand, Walgreens provides access to consumer goods and services and pharmacy, health and wellness services in America through its retail drugstores as it is the largest drugstore chain in the US.
For the past few years, patients who are covered by an Express Scripts plan including those under Tricare are able to fill their prescriptions at their local Walgreens.
However the contract between Walgreens and Express Scripts has ended on December 31, 2011.
Now Walgreens is no longer part of Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network. This includes Walgreens all over the country and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area.
As a result of this, Express Scripts members who used to fill their prescriptions at their local Walgreens will be forced to go elsewhere to use their in-network pharmacy benefits. They have to change their pharmacists and many members now have to drive farther to get prescriptions filled at pharmacies with less convenient hours for their hectic schedules.
Walgreens offers more 24-hour and drive-thru pharmacies than any other pharmacy in the country.
Express Scripts has even stated that its patients will not see any significant savings from excluding Walgreens from its network. Costs may actually increase for patients without Walgreens because they offer competitive pricing, additional savings by dispensing less expensive generic drugs more often than other pharmacies do, and the savings patients see through their 90-day supplies of medications, versus three, 30-day refills.
In an effort to minimize disruption and inconvenience to patients, Walgreens has unveiled a comprehensive national effort to make the transition as smooth as possible. Patients can also take advantage of a great deal on the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens, allowing individuals to families to join for $5.00 and families to join for $10.00. This helpful savings plan also offers discount prices on prescriptions and makes some generic prescriptions available in 90-day supplies for less than $1.00 a week!
Thousands of Walgreens’ customers are encouraged to continue supporting them. You can stay updated and follow Walgreens on Twitter and like Walgreens on Facebook.
