PCMA statements on mail-service pharmacies

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) issued the following statement on a consumer “poll” on mail-service pharmacies released today by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). The survey, which asserts consumer dissatisfaction with mail-service pharmacies, comes on the heels of yesterday’s report from J.D. Power and Associates that found widespread satisfaction with mail-service pharmacies:

“One day after J.D. Power and Associates released its national survey, the independent drug story lobby has attempted to undermine it with a release of its own.

“Unfortunately for NCPA, this forces policymakers to choose which source is accurate: America’s foremost consumer research firm or a lobbying organization committed to higher pharmacy costs. Both can’t be right.

“In weighing the facts, policymakers may also want to consider other independent, peer reviewed data showing that mail-service pharmacies dispense prescriptions with more than 20 times the accuracy of traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacies. Furthermore, government studies show that mail-service pharmacies typically dispense prescriptions at lower prices than traditional pharmacies.

“This year, Congress has a historic opportunity to generate billions in score-able savings by removing costly regulations that restrict home delivery in Medicare. These regulations have resulted in seniors enrolled in Medicare prescription drug plans using mail-service pharmacies 75 percent less than retirees in employer-sponsored plans.

“Savings from broader use of mail-service pharmacies could be used to offset the AMP payment increases being so aggressively pursued by NCPA and others.”