(Washington, D.C.) — In honor of World Diabetes Day, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) has launched a new phase of the OnYourRxSide campaign that showcases how pharmacy benefit managers, PBMs, are working to improve the lives of patients living with diabetes and their families. The educational initiative features a patient-focused advertising campaign, an educational podcast highlighting diabetes-related pharmacy benefit programs and a new research-based infographic, which visually depicts the important role of the pharmacy benefit in diabetes management.
Patient Advertising Campaign Highlighting Value of the Pharmacy Benefit
The campaign features a woman named Kaeana, who has a 12-year-old living daughter with diabetes. Kaeana explains how her PBM helps her access the medication her daughter needs to live a healthier life – at an affordable monthly cost.
“Without help, we would be paying $6,000 a month for medication, but because we have a PBM, I’m only paying $40 out of pocket,” Kaeana states. “It’s very important to have access to affordable medication, because if we didn’t, my child wouldn’t be alive.”
The campaign will also highlight how PBMs lower out-of-pocket costs for insulin and the clinical support and educational programs offered by PBMs, which help patients maintain their insulin regimens and lead healthier lives.
New Podcast on PBMs and Diabetes Care Featuring Express Scripts’ Chief Medical Officer
Today, on World Diabetes Day, PCMA also released a new episode of The Pharmacy Benefit podcast, “PBMs and Diabetes Care,” featuring Dr. Christine Gilroy, Chief Medical Officer at Express Scripts. Dr. Gilroy talks about the work PBMs do to help patients with diabetes manage their medications.
“As a practicing physician, I have always been struck by how the pharmacy benefit is the place that touches the most people and has the potential to make the biggest impact when it comes to disease management and prevention of serious medical events. The clinicians, pharmacists and pharmacy specialists at our companies have developed highly tailored ways to build the capacity for patients to better manage their diabetes through individualized support and the use of clinical data and technology applications, said Dr. Gilroy
You can listen to the full podcast episode here.
“Pharmacy benefit managers work with doctors and pharmacists to deliver personalized, coordinated care to help families like Kaeana’s access the medications they need safely and affordably,” said JC Scott, President and CEO of PCMA. “This month, America’s pharmacy benefit managers are recognizing Americans living with diabetes and those who care for them. For anyone with diabetes, affordable access to prescriptions, combined with support programs that help patients take their medications as directed, is especially important.”
Infographic Highlighting Clinical Programs and Other Efforts to Keep Diabetes Patients Healthy
PCMA’s broad-based educational initiative around diabetes includes a research-based infographic that visually highlights how PBMs help lower out-of-pocket costs for insulin and the clinical support and educational programs offered by PBMs, which help patients maintain their insulin regimens and lead healthier lives. In addition, Amanda Frost, head of research at PCMA, today published a personal account in the Rx Research Corner detailing a family member’s recent experience with a PBM clinician who had a significant clinical impact on their diabetes care.
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PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). PBMs administer prescription drug plans for more than 266 million Americans who have health insurance from a variety of sponsors including: commercial health plans, self-insured employer plans, union plans, Medicare Part D plans, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), state government employee plans, Medicaid plans, and others.
