Journal of managed care pharmacy : JMCP
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Pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies promote mail order programs that typically dispense 90-day quantities of maintenance medications, marketing this feature as a key cost containment strategy to address plan sponsors' rising prescription drug expenditures. In recent years, community pharmacies have introduced 90-day programs that provide similar cost advantages, while allowing these prescriptions to be dispensed at the same pharmacies that patients frequent for 30-day quantities. ⋯ When offered maintenance medications through community and mail order pharmacies on a benefit-equivalent basis, commercially insured employees and their dependents utilized the community pharmacy channel more frequently by a margin of more than 4 to 1 in terms of claims PMPY. Overall allowed charges per claim for community and mail order pharmacy did not significantly differ.
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Studies have examined the association between acetaminophen (APAP) use and renal disease; however, their interpretation is limited by a number of methodological issues. ⋯ Acute prescription-acquired APAP use was associated with renal disease, while chronic use was not. Because this study assessed APAP use in pharmacy claims, further research accounting for over-the-counter APAP use is warranted before the safety of chronic APAP consumption can be firmly established.