Phoenix, Arizona; 11.18.04 — Consumers relying upon the mail-service pharmacy option are overwhelmingly satisfied â?? with Medicare beneficiaries reporting the highest levels of satisfaction â?? and would recommend this option to family and friends, according to a new mail-service pharmacy satisfaction report, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association announced today. PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

” Numerous data have shown that mail-service pharmacy is a proven avenue to providing consumers and purchasers with lower prescription drug costs, improved safety, more privacy, and greater drug therapy compliance,” said PCMA President Mark Merritt. “With these findings, we now know that mail-service pharmacy consumers are also overwhelmingly satisfied on a wide range of indicators â?? timeliness of drug delivery, condition and accuracy of drugs received, and ease of reaching a pharmacist. With seniors reporting the highest levels of satisfaction in the survey, these data are an important reminder to policymakers to preserve the mail-service pharmacy option for Medicare beneficiaries in the new Medicare drug benefit.”

The findings are based on a Fall 2004 survey of 11,697 consumers with drug benefits provided through 20 mail-service pharmacies administered by PBMs and retail pharmacies. Among the key findings:

Mail-service pharmacy consumers are highly satisfied. According to the survey, 92 percent of consumers are “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the mail-service pharmacy option. An additional four percent are “neutral.” Only four percent of consumers report being “dissatisfied.”
Mail-service pharmacy consumers would overwhelmingly recommend this option to family and friends. Fully 95 percent of consumers would recommend their mail-service pharmacy to family and friends.
The more consumers use mail-service pharmacy, the more satisfied they become. Consumers with four or more years’ experience in using the mail-service pharmacy option report the highest levels of satisfaction â?? fully 94 percent are “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied.” Consumers with one year or less experience in using the mail-service pharmacy option report slightly lower satisfaction rates of 90 percent.
Medicare beneficiaries are intensely satisfied with the mail-service pharmacy option. Fully 95 percent of Medicare beneficiaries report being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the mail-service pharmacy option. Medicare beneficiaries report being intensely satisfied â?? 80 percent of Medicare beneficiaries in the survey report being “very satisfied” with the mail-service pharmacy option. While the report does not identify explicitly why Medicare beneficiaries are intensely satisfied, other data suggest that seniors may prefer the mail-service option because of ease of refilling prescriptions, particularly for seniors with limited mobility.
Mail-service pharmacy consumers report high satisfaction levels on a wide range of indicators:

Condition of Drugs Received â?? 98 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.”
Correct Drugs Delivered â?? 98 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.”
Helpfulness of Educational Inserts — 98 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.”
Ease of Refilling Prescriptions — 97 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.
Professionalism of Service Representatives - 97 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.”
Timeliness of Drug Delivery - 94 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.”
Requesting New Prescriptions - 94 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.”
Ability to Get Answers to Questions - 94 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.
Ease of Reaching a Pharmacist - 93 percent are “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” or “neutral.”

The sponsors of the report, Fujisawa, Schwarz Pharma, Wyeth, Berlex had this to say about the results, “We understand the important role played by mail service pharmacy and specialty pharmacy in the delivery of pharmaceutical products. The research confirms the convenience and value these modes of delivery provide to patients and the unique niche mail service pharmacy and specialty pharmacy provide in the overall delivery of health care in the United States.”

The survey was sponsored by a grant from Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc; Schwarz Pharma LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and Berlex Laboratories.

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The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) is the national trade association representing America’s pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs). PCMA member companies provide pharmaceutical care management services to more than 200 million Americans.

Contact Information:
Phil Blando
202-207-3614