New specialty Rx online tool and research released

The Midwest Business Group on Health released a new online toolkit to support employers in better understanding and managing specialty pharmacy benefits. Additionally, they made available new research onemployers' views on biologics and specialty pharmacy finding that 49 percent said they have an above average understanding of specialty pharmacy. This is a significant increase over a similar 2011 survey where 78 percent claimed to have a low to moderate understanding of this challenging benefit.

“With costs estimated to make up 40 percent of an employer’s total pharmacy spend by 2020, it’s essential that they focus their attention on managing this benefit – doing nothing is no longer an option,” said Cheryl Larson, MBGH vice president. “Since employers primarily fund health care benefits for employees, their understanding of specialty drugs and related costs will be a key factor in resolving current challenges.”

Additional details including key findings can be found here.