University and college of pharmacy collaboration to control health plan prescription drug costs

Objective: To describe the Raising Energy and Awareness in Campus Health (REACH) program, an innovative pharmacy practice model implemented within a self-insured employer. Setting: University of Kentucky, Lexington. Practice Description: A self-funded university-based health plan. Practice Innovation/Interventions: As part of a university-wide effort to control rising health care costs for 24,000 employees and dependents, four novel pharmacist services encompassed in the REACH program were provided: Co-Pay Counseling; Good Medicines; OutREACH; and Disease Management and Health Promotion. Main Outcome Measures: University health plan expenditures and health plan member out-of-pocket expenses for prescription medications. Results: The REACH services were provided by 3.5 full-time equivalent pharmacists. Pharmacists evaluated health plan members' medications and conditions in an effort to identify more cost-effective treatment regimens in the Co-Pay Counseling program; provided confidential medication regimen review in the Good Medicines effort; provided informational programs at worksites within the university in the Out-REACH service; and worked with plan members and their health providers to prevent and/or minimize the impact of diseases such as diabetes and dyslipidemias. The overall university program and medication coinsurance strategy saved an estimated $1.6 million in 2003-04. Conclusion: This unique package of employee benefits and services enabled the University of Kentucky to slow the growth of health care expenditures. Pharmacists were an important element in this effort.