Prescription drug benefit design: the building blocks and their impact on cost.

Before changing plan design to address the problem of rising prescription drug benefit cost, employers must understand and periodically revisit the pharmacy benefit building blocks. Ultimately, aligning all aspects of the pharmacy benefit is the best and only way to help control drug benefit costs and, at the same time, promote greater employee satisfaction. This article describes how the pharmacy benefit building blocks of delivery (dispensing), provider contracting, drug products and benefit design all have to work together to produce a more effective pharmacy benefit program.