Anthem Blue Cross is forcing HIV patients to use their mail order pharmacy, Curascript that is owned by the giant PBM (Prescription Benefit Manager) Express Scripts, which will severely compromise the care of these patients. Community HIV specialty pharmacies have been providing excellent care to HIV patients for thirty years and manage the patients drug therapies avoiding potentially fatal drug-drug interactions, help patients with adherence ensuring that patients take their medication every day so the patient does not develop resistance to HIV medications, and also provide education on an array of other issues critical for an HIV patients quality of life and well being, such as linkage to other services within their community. Patients have forged relationships with their HIV pharmacist, whom they know, like and trust and who have become crucial healthcare providers on the HIV patients care team.
Pharmacists and activists have been in action fighting Anthem Blue Cross’s mandate for mandatory mail order for HIV Medications. The petition against Anthem Blue Cross is gaining momentum and pharmacists in California together with the California Pharmacists Association are working aggressively against this issue. We are making headway as Blue Cross changed the start date of the mandatory mail order from January 1, 2013 to March 1, 2013. HIV patients and advocates have also been fighting the issue.
The San Diego Union Tribune ran an article about the issue on January 1, 2013
Never give up and Stand up for what’s right for you and your patients
