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Pharmacy benefit plans are not something you can set and forget. With the pace of change in the pharmacy benefit landscape, new challenges and opportunities can emerge at any time.
That’s why ongoing engagement matters—and why a trusted pharmacy benefits partner makes a difference.
Below are three ways active engagement helps strengthen pharmacy benefit plans and how National CooperativeRx helps members stay informed, proactive, and in control.
1. Navigating a Rapidly Changing Pharmacy Benefit Industry
New regulations, shifting market dynamics, and changes in utilization can make it challenging to keep pharmacy plans performing at their best. Without clear insight, emerging trends and changes can be easily overlooked, impacting costs, member experience, and overall plan performance.
As a cooperative, National CooperativeRx prioritizes education, shared resources, and collaboration. We help simplify industry complexities and navigate developments on behalf of our members. We share relevant and timely insights through:
- Email communications, including The Script newsletter and targeted broker, consultant, and agent updates
- Webinars, including our 20-minute webinar series designed to deliver key information efficiently
- Website content, such as relevant blogs and regularly updated resources
- Meetings, such as our Annual Meeting and ongoing plan review discussions
Staying engaged helps members understand what’s trending, why it matters, and how these changes may affect their plans. With timely insights, plans are better positioned to respond proactively, avoid surprises, and make strategic decisions that align with their goals.
2. Understanding Pharmacy Spend Drivers
Pharmacy costs are driven by a combination of drug mix, pricing, utilization, and plan design elements. Without a clear understanding of how these factors interact, members may overlook key spend drivers and miss opportunities to optimize plan performance. Recognizing these dynamics enables members to anticipate trends, address challenges, and take actions that balance financial goals with participant needs.
National CooperativeRx helps members interpret spend drivers year-round, not just during annual plan reviews. Our account management team works closely with members to analyze performance data, highlighting how plan elements interact and identifying insights most relevant to each plan. By translating complex pharmacy information into actionable guidance, we empower members to make decisions based on understanding, not assumptions.
3. Identifying Strategic Pharmacy Plan Management Opportunities
Effective pharmacy plan management requires a coordinated approach that combines plan design strategies, utilization management, and clinical programs. Knowing what approaches are available and how they can affect plan performance allows for more informed, proactive decisions.
National CooperativeRx helps members evaluate strategies and identify opportunities tailored to each plan. When members engage with these strategies, it drives real results, as shown by high program participation and strong spend metrics:
- Over 90% of our plans participate in our specialty and non-specialty high-dollar claim review clinical program
- Over 90% of our plans utilize specialty tiers and advanced specialty formulary approaches
- 93% of our plans utilize a GLP-1 management strategy, and 95% of new plans in 2026 opted into our custom strategy
- 5.6% overall pharmacy trend and 2.5% specialty trend in 2024, compared to industry benchmarks in the double digits
Our most engaged, longtime members often see the strongest results, demonstrating how consistent participation in programs and plan management strategies can directly influence overall pharmacy spend trends.
National CooperativeRx’s Commitment to Membership
National CooperativeRx is committed to accessibility, responsiveness, and providing industry expertise to our members.
To strengthen these commitments, we are placing an increased focus on member engagement. Our account management team will be working to create more opportunities to meet with plans to review spend and provide strategic guidance. We will also be measuring engagement through Annual Meeting and webinar attendance, member references, clinical program adoption, and Board Member election participation. These insights will help us enhance outreach, education, and support for our members.
Active engagement strengthens individual plans and the National CooperativeRx community as a whole. We look forward to continuing to engage with our members and delivering smarter, more effective pharmacy benefits together.
