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Medicare Drug Program News
Website Aims to Help Senior Citizens Stay Afloat in
Medicare Drug Program's Doughnut Hole
'Beat the Doughnut Hole' effort by Center
for Medicine in the Public Interest
August 9, 2006 - There is a new, free online
service to help senior citizens save money on prescription drugs.
DestinationRx and the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest have
launched "Beat the Doughnut Hole," a two-month Coverage Gap Awareness
Campaign to educate seniors about managing the Medicare Part D "doughnut
hole."
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The doughnut hole refers to the coverage gap phase
of Medicare Part D during which enrollees are responsible for the cost
of their prescription drugs. During the two-month campaign through the
end of September, DestinationRx will sponsor a website called
www.PartDOptimizer.com, which will educate seniors about the
coverage gap, as well as give them the dose-specific tools to compare
and lower their prescription drug costs. The web site is free.
"There is a staggering amount of misinformation
around Medicare Part D and the doughnut hole," said Bob Goldberg, Vice
President of the CMPI.
"Seniors can beat the doughnut hole now by
comparing and shopping for lower costs drugs. And by using the Part D
optimizer, they can start thinking about which plan to select for 2007
and may be able to avoid the doughnut hole entirely next year by
choosing plan most appropriate for their needs."
"Beat the Doughnut Hole" is a campaign to make
Rxaminer's Part D Optimizer available for free to seniors on
www.PartDOptimizer.com so they can take proactive steps to minimize
their financial exposure.
The Part D Optimizer is drug cost comparison tool
that employs a three-step process to help individuals quickly identify
lower-cost alternatives to their medications, including plan-preferred
options and generics. First, an individual selects his or her plan and
enters a medication. Next, a custom report is generated that displays
all of the lower-cost prescription drug options available under the
member's plan. Finally, the individual brings the report to his or her
doctor, who switches the member to a lower-cost medication, as
appropriate.
DestinationRx has invited all Medicare Part D plans
to forward their drug formulary and pricing information for free
integration into the tool.
"There are wide variations in the cost of branded
alternatives and generics," said Toby Rogers, President of Rxaminer, a
division of DestinationRx. "Seniors are being exposed to the real cost
of their prescription drugs for the first time, but are also being given
the opportunity to compare and shop like they do for every other aspect
of their lives. Our goal is to make sure they have free access to the
tools necessary to minimize their costs this year and learn how to plan
for 2007."
An estimated 3.4 million Americans will experience
the Part D coverage gap this year. An unfortunate reality of modern-day
healthcare is that doctors often don't have the time to look up their
patients' benefits and determine which drug would be most cost-effective
for them.
The Rxaminer Part D Optimizer is designed to
simplify this process. Since January 1, 2004, the tool has helped more
than 850,000 individuals save an average of 20 percent on their
prescription drug costs, with some saving as much as 80 percent.
For example, for one of the major Part D plans, a
switch of just one of the top ten most prescribed drugs to a lower
priced equivalent can create of savings ranging from 46 percent to 98
percent per drug.
For seniors who have reached the doughnut hole,
particularly for seniors who take multiple drugs, cost comparing can
translate into thousands of dollars.
About DestinationRx and Rxaminer
Founded in 1999, DestinationRx is a leader in
consumer drug comparison and purchasing technology. The company
provides government and commercial plan providers with the resources to
create fully-integrated and comprehensive decision-support capabilities
for their members. DestinationRx is also a leading consumer resource,
providing education, price comparisons, and purchasing options for a
variety of prescription drug and other healthcare transactions. The
company's client roster includes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS), pharmacy benefits managers (PGMs), large health plans,
Fortune 100 employers, and advocacy organizations such as the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP). On May 5, 2006, DestinationRx
acquired Rxaminer, the first organization to provide consumers with
equivalent-dose drug comparison pricing. For more information, visit:
www.DestinationRx.com and
www.Rxaminer.com.
About the Center for Medicine in the Public
Interest
The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest
is the only institute dedicated to advancing next generation of
medicines, promoting policies and activities that encourage medical
progress and providing the public with information about the role new
patient-centered tools and biomedical innovations will play in making
health care more predictive, preventive and personalized.
More information about CMPI is available at
www.cmpi.org and its health policy blog,
www.drugwonks.com.
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