COVID19 is having an impact on work comp payers’ pharmacy programs – but this isn’t due to treatments for the disease itself.
That’s largely because there are no medications that have been shown to be safe and effective in treating COVID19 in credible clinical trials. As a result, there’s little consistency in how payers are approaching medications intended to treat COVID and the symptoms thereof.
Some are approving hydroxychloroquine without a prior authorization (PA) while others require a PA for initial and refills. As the surveys were completed before the latest news that hydroxychloroquine research found less-than-promising clinical results for patients exposed to the virus, it is possible more payers will require at least a PA for future prescriptions. (Other research that reported specific health risks recently came under fire from multiple sources.)
None of the respondents mentioned remdesivir, a brand antiviral that has shown some promise (based on limited clinical trials). This may well change if and when additional trials are completed and the results are satisfactory.
What is consistent is payers’ moves to loosen other prior auth requirements to allow refills for other medications for longer periods and earlier than usual.
Home delivery has also ramped up appreciably, with many retail outlets offering delivery in an effort to keep customers tied to their local store as opposed to using the PBM’s mail order pharmacy.
What does this mean for you?
Unfortunately, we don’t yet have any medications that have been proven to be safe and effective in preventing COVID19 or moderating COVID19’s effects.
Read studies carefully, and get your clinical experts to weigh in on coverage decisions. Science matters.
