2020 Medicare Open Enrollment Resources

That’s okay   — with Medicare plans, patients can still fill their prescriptions at any pharmacy, even if they are not preferred.   You will need to make sure your patient knows they will pay a higher co-pay to fill at your pharmacy if they choose a plan you are not preferred in next year. If the patient really wants to stay at your pharmacy, you can review their medications and find other cost saving methods so that the co-pay differential may not be as high. Suggestions include — ensuring that their infrequent acute care medications are not included in their overall price quote for the upcoming year or talking to their doctor about switching to cheaper generic alternatives, if available.

Your patients want to know what plan makes the most sense for them financially. Walk them through their plan options using Amplicare or Medicare.gov and let your patient know that “If you want to be a patient at this pharmacy with a lower copay, this is the best option”. If they do choose a plan that will take them to a different pharmacy, remind them to come back next year as plans change annually.

You can use technicians to help identify eligible patients and schedule consultations with the pharmacist, or use technicians throughout the entire process.  When making your technician schedule, ensure that they have dedicated time for Medicare consultations.  This ensures that the technician can focus on patient outreach, coordination, and Medicare consultations.  Try hosting a competition to see who can schedule and/or complete the most consultations!