Minnesota State Employee Health Plan to Use E-Prescribing

Minnesota State Government, Jul 10, 2007

 
~ New pharmacy benefit manager to enhance programs, save state $5 million annually ~

Taking another step to contain health care costs through technology and electronic medical records, Governor Tim Pawlenty announced that the State of Minnesota will implement e-prescribing for state employees and their dependents through a new prescription benefits manager.

The Department of Employee Relations (DOER) has agreed to negotiate with Navitus Health Solutions of Madison, Wisconsin as the sole pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) for the Minnesota Advantage Health Plan for State employees. Currently, each of the three health plans that participate in Advantage uses a separate PBM to administer pharmacy benefits for 115,000 state employees and their dependents.

A single PBM will increase efficiency and save the state about $5 million a year. The savings will go directly back to the health plan to help control rising health care premiums.

“Government can and should do more to contain health care costs through technology and the purchasing power of our award-winning Advantage health plan,” Governor Pawlenty said. “A single pharmacy benefit manager will improve quality and, at the same time, lower health plan costs paid by employees and taxpayers.”

“The Minnesota Advantage Health Plan will be able to expand health and pharmacy programs while saving millions,” DOER commissioner Patricia Anderson said. “Some of the benefits include a single drug formulary, enhanced implementation of clinical programs and plan design improvements, and streamlining of the prescription refill and authorization process.”

One of the first initiatives under the new PBM is to implement ePrescribing, which allows prescriptions to be entered and transmitted electronically to participating pharmacies. E-prescribing improves patient safety and overall quality of care by reducing errors associated with illegible handwriting, improper dosages, and drug interaction mistakes.