Prime Therapeutics LLC® (Prime) will
support the management of pharmacy
benefits for all Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Florida (BCBSF) and Health
Options members beginning Jan. 1,
2007. In April, BCBSF purchased an
equity interest in Prime, which is
owned exclusively by 10 Blue Cross
and Blue Shield plans and serves
approximately 10 million people
nationwide.
Rising prescription drug costs continue
to put pressure on premium rates.
To provide our members access to
affordable health care choices, we
continually seek provider agreements
that best serve our members. We
believe our members will benefit
from this move. It will strengthen our
pharmacy programs and enable us to
increase coordination between those
programs and our care and wellness
programs.
Lowell Sterler, vice president, BCBSF
Pharmacy Programs, explains,
“Prime understands that each of its
client markets is unique. This will
enable us to apply a more customized,
market-specific approach to pharmacy
management.”
In addition to various clinical,
administrative and claims processing
services, Prime will provide the
pharmacy mail-order service now
offered through Walgreens. Prior to
Jan. 1, 2007, members currently using
Walgreens’s mail order service will
receive information explaining their
benefits, instructions to set up their
mail-order accounts and Prime’s
customer service number.
Prime also maintains an expansive
national pharmacy network for
members traveling out of state who
may need a prescription filled. Prime’s
national network includes all our
current national chains, as well as a
large number of independent
pharmacies.
As we draw closer to Jan. 1, those
affected will receive additional
information by mail. Also, check our
website at www.bcbsfl.com for updates.
