Public employees in Oregon will soon have access to a wider range of prescription medications at lower costs through the Oregon Prescription Drug Program (OPDP).
Those who receive prescription drugs as part of their benefits program will have access to the full portfolio of pharmaceutical contracts of Premier Purchasing Partners, a division of the Premier healthcare alliance. This will be done through the Portland, Ore.-based OPDP and Wellpartner, a national provider of pharmacy distribution solutions for health plans, Medicaid programs and safety-net organizations.
“The goal of this partnership is to make prescription drugs more available and affordable for teachers, public workers and other employees of the state of Oregon,” said Premier Purchasing Partners President Mike Alkire. "Leveraging the buying power of the 2,200 hospitals and 63,000 non-acute care facilities in the Premier alliance allows the OPDP to do just that.”
In 2003, Oregon's Legislature authorized the formation of the OPDP, a prescription drug purchasing pool, to help increase access to prescription drugs by the uninsured and reduce costs for state and city governments. Earlier this year the state passed health reform legislation, creating the Oregon Health Authority. The OHA is responsible for streamlining and aligning state health purchasers and programs to maximize efficiency and organize state health policy and health services.
Oregon Education Benefit Board employees will use the model first, with other state agency employees following throughout 2010.
In 2009, the Oregon state employee pharmaceutical spend totaled approximately $850 million.