Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 26, 1995 TAG: 9510260016
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The test effort, announced this week, will be called "Member Choice" and is a joint project with PCS Health Systems Inc. PCS is a Scottsdale, Ariz., company that runs a monitoring system to alert AARP members to possible drug interactions or incorrect dosages.
PCS, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co., also is a managed pharmaceutical care company.
In Member Choice, AARP members will pay $10 for a drug card that can be used at participating pharmacies for discounts that RPS has negotiated. Members currently get discounts when they buy from the AARP Pharmacy Service mail-order program run by RPS, but many also use local pharmacies, especially if they need medicine immediately, said Ned Haley, senior vice president for sales and marketing in the RPS headquarters in Alexandria.
The company's Roanoke center will staff the toll-free lines to answer questions about the program, but it is too soon to know if it will affect employment, Haley said. He also said there is no way to know if the pharmacy program will take away from the mail-order service.
People who sign up for the card are guaranteed to save at least the $10 fee in the first six months, he said. Also, they can quit the program and get a refund at any time.
The program should appeal especially to AARP members who don't have insurance that pays for medications, Haley said. The AARP is open to people 50 and older.
by CNB