Method for Comparing Prescription Drug Formularies

• US 20080183492A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Walgreens Health Initiatives Incorporated (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Warren, Gregory L., Vaysberg, Janice
• Application Number:
  US11/627,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183492A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A method may enable a benefits consultant or other user to quantitatively compare competing PBM formularies across a representative sample of all drugs covered under a health benefits plan to present a comprehensive analysis of the formulary and its influence on a client'"'"'s net cost. The method may determine a client'"'"'s utilization data under the client'"'"'s current formulary schedule. Also, it may determine a pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s (PBM) book of business utilization data under the PBM'"'"'s formulary schedule. Further, the method may determine the utilization differences between the client'"'"'s utilization data under the current formulary and the PBM'"'"'s book of business utilization data under the PBM'"'"'s formulary. Using the client and PBM utilization differences, the method may extrapolate a projected total cost for the client under the PBM'"'"'s formulary.

Claims

1. A method of quantitatively evaluating formulary schedules comprising:

determining a client'"'"'s utilization data for at least a portion of a client'"'"'s drug spend, the client utilization data including a total number of prescriptions filled per drug under a first formulary schedule;

determining a pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s book of business utilization data for a plurality of drugs from the client'"'"'s drug spend, the book of business utilization data including the total number of prescriptions filled per drug that the pharmacy benefits manager receives from a plurality of clients, the total number of prescriptions filled according to a second formulary schedule;

determining a client utilization difference pattern between the client'"'"'s utilization data and the pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s book of business utilization data for the plurality of drugs from the client'"'"'s drug spend; and

determining, from the client utilization difference pattern, a projected total cost for the client under the second formulary schedule;

wherein, between the first and second formulary schedule, the client utilization difference pattern includes a drug cost difference and a member cost difference for the plurality of drugs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a drug spend includes all drugs the client has ordered during a period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the client'"'"'s utilization data includes a number of prescriptions for the plurality of drugs and a total cost to the client for the prescriptions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the client'"'"'s utilization data and the pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s book of business utilization data includes a drug formulary status for each of the plurality of drugs, the drug formulary status being one of generic, preferred brand, or non-preferred brand.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the drug formulary status includes at least one of a rebate, a discount, or a co-payment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the drug cost difference includes the discount.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the member cost difference includes the co-payment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, from the client utilization difference pattern, the projected total cost for the client under the second formulary schedule comprises extrapolating the projected total cost for the client under the pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s formulary from the client utilization difference pattern.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of clients is substantially similar to the client, both the plurality of clients and the client being members of a client class, the client class including at least one of a managed health care plan or a group of employers.

10. A method for quantitatively evaluating formulary schedules comprising:

determining a client'"'"'s utilization data for a client'"'"'s drug spend including all drugs the client has ordered during a period of time, the client utilization data including a total number of prescriptions filled per drug under a first formulary schedule, a total number of prescriptions filled for a subset of the total number of prescriptions filled per drug under the first formulary schedule, and a total cost to the client for each of the total number of prescriptions filled per drug and the subset;

determining a pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s book of business utilization data for the subset, the book of business utilization data including the total number of prescriptions filled per drug that the pharmacy benefits manager receives from a plurality of clients within the same client class as the client, the total number of prescriptions filled according to a second formulary schedule;

determining a client utilization difference pattern between the client'"'"'s utilization data and the pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s book of business utilization data for the subset; and

determining, from the client utilization difference pattern, a projected total cost for the client under the second formulary schedule;

wherein, between the first and second formulary schedule, the client utilization difference pattern includes a drug cost difference and a member cost difference for the subset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the client'"'"'s utilization data and the pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s book of business utilization data includes a drug formulary status for each drug of the subset, the drug formulary status being one of generic, preferred brand, or non-preferred brand.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the drug formulary status includes at least one of a rebate, a discount, and a co-payment;

wherein the drug cost difference includes at least one of the discount and the rebate; and

wherein the member cost difference includes the co-payment.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the projected total cost for the client under the second formulary schedule comprises the projected total cost for the client under the pharmacy benefits manager'"'"'s formulary from the client utilization difference pattern.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the same client class as the client includes at least one of a managed health care plan or a group of employers.

15. A method of quantitatively comparing a first formulary schedule and a second formulary schedule, the first and second formulary schedules having a plurality of drugs, the plurality of drugs including a unique distribution of generic, preferred brand, and non-preferred brand drugs, the drugs being common to both of the first and second formulary schedules, the method comprising:

determining first utilization data of the first formulary schedule and second utilization data of the second formulary schedule;

determining a utilization pattern between the first and second utilization data;

extrapolating the first utilization data to the second formulary schedule by the utilization pattern;

calculating a total cost for the plurality of drugs under each of the first formulary schedule and the second formulary schedule, the total cost for the second formulary schedule including the utilization pattern;

adjusting the total cost for the second formulary schedule by each of a relativity factor, an incentive amount, and a member co-payment amount;

wherein the relativity factor describes a difference between the total cost for the plurality of drugs under the first formulary schedule and the total cost for the plurality of drugs under the second formulary schedule;

calculating a final net plan cost for each of the first formulary schedule and the second formulary schedule; and

determining a lowest net cost formulary by comparing the final net plan cost of the first formulary schedule to the final net plan cost of the second formulary schedule.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of drugs is one of generic, preferred brand, or non-preferred brand.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of drugs includes a plurality of therapeutic classes, each of the therapeutic classes including a plurality of functionally similar drugs.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the incentive amount includes a discount amount for each of the plurality of drugs, the discount amount including one of a generic discount or a brand discount.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the incentive amount includes a rebate amount for each of the plurality of drugs, the rebate amount including one of a retail rebate or a mailrebate.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the member co-payment amount includes, for each of the plurality of drugs, one of a generic co-payment, a preferred brand co-payment, or a non-preferred brand co-payment.