OSEEGIB Approves the Pharmacy Providers of Oklahoma Proposal!
A Victory for Retail Community Pharmacy!
PPOk’s proposal approved by OSEEGIB today eliminates copayment differentials between retail pharmacies and mail order/preferred maintenance pharmacies. It provides additional discounts at 30 days for brand name and generic drugs and provides market acceptable rates for 90 days. It includes an improved rural rate and will expand the number of pharmacies defined as rural. Mail order will remain an option with no copayment advantage. It will not be marketed by OSEEGIB and Medco cannot market directly or otherwise to enrollees.
Lonny Wilson, Executive director of PPOk, said in his press release today that: “OSEEGIB’s decision to accept PPOk’s Community Pharmacy Proposal is a tremendous WIN for Oklahoma Community Retail Pharmacies, the Plan, the Participants, and the state of Oklahoma. It provides savings to the plan; lowers total copayments and allows participants to choose the pharmacy of their choice without incurring copayment penalties. Allowing 90 day dispensing of maintenance drugs from hundreds of community pharmacies provides optimum convenience and access to the many additional services provided by Oklahoma pharmacies. Our thanks go out to OSEEBIG board members and management for putting Oklahomans first.” ‐Lonny Wilson, D.Ph., Executive Director/CEO
OPhA would like to thank Pharmacy Providers of Oklahoma, Lonny Wilson and Melanie Maxwell. Without their skill in negotiations, knowledge and an unwavering persistence in fighting for a fair and amicable contract agreement for retail community pharmacy, many independent community pharmacies would have had no choice but to close their doors.
Additionally, a big “Thank You” to our Lobbyist, Mr. Clayton Taylor and the Taylor Group for the work they did in helping us coordinate and arrange Dr. Doug Cox’s A&B Sub-committee November 30th hearing , meetings with Mr Preston Doerflinger, Director of State Finance, and the many other meetings and discussions we had with a multitude of state legislators. Additionally, thanks to Clayton for speaking personally with Senate and House Leadership, Governor Mary Fallin and Secretary of State, Mr. Glenn Coffee, while running damage control for us at the same time.
Finally, OPhA would also like to acknowledge the incredible amount of Grassroots level support we received from pharmacists throughout the state. Thanks to everyone for making personal phone calls to legislators and asking them to support community pharmacy in Oklahoma.
Remember, the Oklahoma State Legislative Session will convene on Monday February 6th, 2012, and the fight to keep pharmacy in Oklahoma moving forward is never over! We will need you to stand with us in 2012.
Phil Woodward, Pharm.D.
OPhA Executive Director