People often mark time with the changing of the seasons. Seasons last about three months, although in the Midwest, we wish summer would last longer. It’s natural to think and plan in 90-day periods. It is often said it takes 21 days to create a habit and 90 days to create a new lifestyle. Businesses, especially publicly traded companies, plan in three-month cycles. Health care has adopted the 90-day mindset in at least one respect: prescription drugs. The 90-day prescription refill has benefits for both businesses and their employees. That’s why Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s pharmacy plans are customized to meet your business budget and your employees’ needs. Get the most out of your prescription drug coverage and help employees avoid surprises at the pharmacy by encouraging them to use the tools they have, including 90-day refills. There are several reasons to choose 90-day refills:
- Lower costs. Most maintenance medications that are taken for extended periods or used to treat chronic conditions are available at the pharmacy or by mail order in 90-day supplies. That can help reduce out-of-pocket costs by up to a third compared to filling the prescription every month at a retail pharmacy, depending on plan benefit design.
- Fewer trips to the pharmacy. With a 90-day supply of maintenance medications, people make fewer trips to the pharmacy, and pay only one copayment every 90 days.
- Long term health benefits. Studies show people have better adherence to medications when they have 90-day prescriptions, especially those that manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, because there are fewer chances for gaps in their medicine supplies.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan offers two options to your employees that not only provide them great care, but keep business costs low:
- Express Scripts Pharmacy. This is Blue Cross’ exclusive home delivery pharmacy for members with commercial pharmacy benefits. Express Scripts will mail prescription medicines with no shipment cost. First-time requests and refills may be submitted online or over the phone. Prescriptions often can be delivered within a few days.
- Walgreens Retail Pharmacy. This is an option for individuals who prefer an in-person interaction with a pharmacist by picking up medicines at a local Walgreens retail pharmacy.
You can find more information about pharmacy topics here. If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
- Mail-Order Prescriptions: Better for Your Health and Budget
- Simple Ways for Business to Explain Pharmacy Coverage to Employees
- Avoiding Frustration at the Pharmacy
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