Ensuring safety, access, and affordability at the pharmacy counter.

Maintaining a robust network of pharmacies is fundamental to ensuring patients have easy access to the medications they need. Network development is also a way that pharmacy benefit specialists like Express Scripts, an Evernorth company, work on behalf of patients and our clients to keep costs down throughout the supply chain.

The first priority when creating a network is the safety of patients, and we set high clinical standards for all pharmacies seeking to be part of Express Scripts’ preferred pharmacy network. Access is also important and that is why we maintain a large network, with 98% of Express Scripts patients living within 5 miles of a preferred pharmacy. 

A preferred pharmacy is where patients can fill their prescriptions at the lowest cost.  Creating a preferred pharmacy network is one of the primary tools used by pharmacy benefit specialists to keep costs down. Just as we negotiate with drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit specialists also work with retail pharmacies to achieve savings. Retail pharmacies that are part of Express Scripts’ network of 65,000 pharmacies help us deliver discounts for patients and plan sponsors. This is part of the value created by pharmacy benefit specialists, and without the ability to set our own network standards, safety and affordability would be at risk.

• Policymakers should ensure pharmacy benefit specialists maintain flexibility to set retail pharmacy networks and use their tools to lower pharmaceutical costs.