Chair Talk
April 2007
I recently spoke with a retiree that received a partial fill on the last refill of a prescription. I contacted Lisa Stout and Lauri Schmidt by e-mail about the issue and received a response/explanation from both in less than an hour. Express Scripts changed their policy of filling a “fourth” refill in January of this year in an attempt to resolve this issue. As members send in new prescriptions for the right number of refills this should no longer happen. Lisa Stout explained the problem pretty simply by the following:
“The issue is because the members sent in a prescription for a 90 day supply plus FOUR refills instead of THREE refills. Prior to their policy change, they could not expire the prescription after the third refill as the physician had written for four refills. Problem with the fourth fill is that we cross one year and prescriptions are only good for one year. So generally what would happen is the 3rd refill would take the member s prescription up to about 360 days (90 x 3 = 270, plus original fill 90 = 360). So the fourth fill only gives them 5-6 days before they hit the one year mark on the prescription expiring. Therefore instead of filling for a 90 day supply we could only fill for 5 or 6 days.”
Although Express Scripts is addressing this problem, much of it is our responsibility. I too have had the same problem and feel that I am to blame for it as well. I believe that it is our (members) responsibility to make sure our doctor s write the prescriptions to show three 90-day refills rather than four refills. It is also our responsibility to read the label on Scripts also indicates refills/tablets left on the paperwork we receive when the prescriptions are delivered to our homes.
I would like to encourage more retirees to use the mail-order portion of our prescription drug benefits. If you utilize the mail-order pharmacy rather than retail you save at least 2/3 of the co-pay expense compared to retail. Although there have been some problems with the mail order program in the past — they are becoming fewer and fewer. I have used the mail-order programs (Caremark, Merck-Medco and Express Scripts) for over 15 years and the problems I have had with it are a minimum in that amount of time. Many retirees would rather continue to have the personal contact with their local pharmacist — but in all honesty that pharmacist looks at the same computer program to review a person s medications as the Express Scripts pharmacist. If you would rather spend more money for that personal contact, that is your choice. I would rather the the extra money I save with mail order on my grandchildren.
Editor’s note: Bob Kopasz is Chair of the Michigan SERA Council. He may be reached at P.O. Box 692, Mt. Morris, MI 48458; phone 810/240-8380
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