In the News

Kansas Investigates Obscure But Powerful Part Of The Drug Supply Chain: Pharmacy Middlemen

8/13/2021
NPR in Kansas City

Some states have dumped their middlemen and switched to competitors among a much smaller but growing group of companies that bill themselves as a kind of countermovement to the biggest market players.

Specialty pharmacy operator Navitus acquires EpiphanyRx

7/26/2021
Phoenix Business Journal

Madison, Wisconsin-based Navitus Health Solutions, which has a specialty pharmacy in Phoenix, has acquired EpiphanyRx, a pharmacy benefits management solution based in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Navitus Debuts Predictive Tool to Prevent Opioid Misuse

7/22/2021
RADAR on Drug Benefits

Navitus Health Solutions has added a predictive analytics product to its Opioid Safety Solutions offering. The product, Predictive Analytics for the Misuse of Opioids (PAMO), generates member-specific risk scores to help prescribers identify who may be at risk of opioid misuse and recommend non-opioid treatment options.

PBMs and Drug Spending in 2020

7/14/2021
Drug Channels

Adam Fein of the Drug Channels Institute shares his analysis of the 2020 commercial drug trend data for CVS Health, Express Scripts, Navitus and WellDyne.

Companies ditching massive drug-industry middlemen in favor of smaller competitors

6/28/2021
Business Insider

Pharmacy benefit managers are facing a wave of fresh scrutiny from states over the secretive ways they turn profits. That's helping to fuel business at smaller firms and venture-backed startups that say they operate differently.

Madison-based Navitus, with Costco as part owner, expands its drug benefit business

6/7/2021
Wisconsin State Journal

With nearly 1,000 employees and new partial ownership by Costco, Madison-based Navitus Health Solutions is growing in a pharmacy benefits industry dominated by a few companies whose opaque practices have led to transparency laws, including one adopted this year in Wisconsin.

Costco Brings Its Low-Price Magic to Employer-Paid Drug Plans

4/22/2021
Bloomberg Businessweek

Pharmacy benefit managers typically make money by taking a cut of the drug price savings they negotiate for employers. Navitus says its fee-only model avoids financial conflicts.

Building relationships for better health: 3 patient interventions to improve adherence

4/21/2021
Drug Store News

The financial and health implications of medication nonadherence are staggering — costing the U.S. healthcare system between $100 and $290 billion annually and taking the lives of 125,000 people each year. When patients fail to take their medications as directed, they are at risk of disrupted treatment, disease progression, increased hospitalizations and unnecessary medical costs.

4 FAQs (and answers) employers may have about COVID vaccinations

4/6/2021
BenefitsPRO

Employers should be prepared to communicate their organization’s point of view on any vaccine requirements, says Brent Eberle.

How to achieve a drug formulary that reduces costs and maintains access to care

3/22/2021
BenefitsPRO

Wasteful drugs could be driving up your pharmacy benefits spend–here’s how to evaluate, identify and establish a high-performance formulary.

The Journey to Improve Population Health

3/15/2021
DiscoveRx Magazine

Through managed care pharmacy, [University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy] alumna Eileen Murphy improves outcomes for Medicare patients.

Navitus: a 'Full Pass-Through' PBM Working to Improve Medication Adherence

1/29/2021
Tuning in to the C-Suite: an MHE Podcast

MHE Associate Editor Briana Contreras and Senior Editor Peter Wehrwein speak with Julie Olson, senior director of Population Health and Product Development at Navitus, a full pass-through pharmacy benefits management (PBM) company.

Pharma benefits in 2021: 4 trends to watch

12/24/2020
BenefitsPRO

While organizations will continue to invest in PBM partners to achieve cost savings, a few key areas will drive significant impact in 2021.

Top Drug Approvals and Product Launches of 2020

12/10/2020
Drug Topics

A look back at the most impressive drug approvals and product launches of the year.

Opioid overdoses are spiking amid the pandemic - PBMs can help combat opioid abuse and misuse

11/24/2020
MedCity News

Opioid overutilization is a public health crisis, and PBMs with programs aimed at curbing abuse and educating providers can have a positive and substantial impact on clients and their members.

In Land of Giants, Smaller PBMs Find a Niche

10/15/2020
Managed Healthcare Executive

In the consolidated PBM industry, smaller companies say they can be nimble and not driven by rebates. But are they acquisition targets?

3 strategies to promote the value of medication adherence among plan members

10/1/2020
BenefitsPRO

As the pandemic creates lasting effects on our economy and health care system, the major barriers to medication adherence have worsened.

A Look at the Year in Generics

9/9/2020
Drug Topics

The generic pipeline continues to provide significant value to payers and patients as key products in top therapeutic classes lose patent protection.

Maintaining affordable access to prescriptions in a post-pandemic world

5/29/2020
MedCity News

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to evolve, pharmacy networks have largely delivered against the challenge to meet critical health care needs. Pharmacies across the country remain open to accommodate patients, and anticipated drug shortages and supply chain concerns from early in the pandemic have not come to fruition.

Navitus Achieves Double-Digit Savings for New Clients in 2019

5/28/2020
RADAR on Drug Benefits

Navitus Health Solutions, a PBM that touts a 100% rebate pass-through model and a lowest-net-cost formulary, says it is seeing success in moderating total net cost per-member per-month (PMPM), particularly for new clients.

The company’s 2019 Drug Trend report, released in May, said Navitus achieved an “industry-leading” total net cost PMPM of $78.12 across its commercial business, 16% lower than the forecasted industry average of $93.11 PMPM.

With Costco Now in its Corner, PBM Navitus Thinks Big

5/14/2020
RADAR on Drug Benefits

Serving just 6.2 million members, Navitus Health Solutions — a PBM owned by St. Louis, Mo.-based integrated health system SSM Health — is hardly one of the industry’s major players. But given that it features a “pass-through” business model in an era when opaque PBM structures are facing scrutiny, and Costco Wholesale Corp. recently purchased a minority stake in the firm, Navitus may be poised for a bigger spotlight.

3 considerations for selecting a truly transparent pharmacy benefits partner

5/14/2020
BenefitsPRO

While the word “transparency” is commonly used across the PBM industry, the reality is that not all transparency is created equal.

PQA Presents Quality Awards to 24 Medicare Plan Contracts for High Achievement in Medication Quality

5/14/2020
Pharmacy Quality Alliance

The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) has recognized 24 Medicare plan contracts with a quality award for high achievement or significant improvement in PQA measures of medication safety and appropriate use. The awards are based on published CMS Medicare Part D Star Ratings.

Navitus MedicareRx is recognized with an Excellence in Quality Award for PDPs and Dean Health Plan is recognized with an Excellence in Quality Award for MAPDs.

NW Prescription Drug Consortium announces Moda and Navitus as contractors for their pharmacy benefit

3/5/2020
Oregon Health Authority

The NW Prescription Drug Consortium is pleased to retain Moda as their contracted program administrator and begin using Navitus as their pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) effective January 1, 2022.

Business Group Achieves First-Year Pharmacy Savings

2/20/2020
Milwaukee Business Journal

Employer costs for pharmacy benefits are continuing to increase partly due to the costs of specialty medications, said Jeff Kluever, executive director of the Business Health Care Group. Pharmacy benefit managers, which are third-party administrators of prescription drug programs for insurers, say they reduce those costs but Navitus takes it further by passing along to employers all rebates and discounts.