Why is accreditation a good idea for PBMs?
There are several reasons to create a pharmacy benefit management accreditation program at this time: • One in every five health care dollars is spent on prescription drugs. Yet there are currently no national standards for the design and operation of the important programs that benefit managers use to assure access to drugs and pharmacies, assure patient safety, and manage use of drugs by patients. • There is movement within the industry for operational changes, including greater transparency in contracting, the rebate process, and pricing structures. Accreditation would set industry-wide standards and bring a recognizable seal of quality to accredited organizations. • In recent years, the PBM industry has been the subject of increased interest from state legislatures, regulators and the courts. With the implementation of the Medicare Part D pharmacy program this year, increased scrutiny on the federal level is to be expected. Independent, third-party accreditation will be valuable in
