Tricare lists 1,326 specialty drugs, which typically treat chronic conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis, in its collection. (Pixabay)
Tricare beneficiaries may now receive specialty drugs at lower copays through Tricare Home Delivery, according to the military health care provider.
The Defense Health Agency contracted with Accredo, a nationally accredited specialty pharmacy, last month to provide mail order services for specialty drugs and enhanced clinical services, DHA spokesman Peter Graves said by email April 11.
Tricare Home Delivery was previously administered by Express Scripts Pharmacy. Some patients with a combination of non-specialty and specialty prescriptions will receive their drugs mail order from both Accredo and Express Scripts.
Beneficiaries will save money with home delivery compared to purchasing their prescriptions from a retail network pharmacy, according to Tricare’s website. Copays through home delivery are $2 to $4 less than those at retail pharmacies.
Tricare lists 1,326 specialty drugs, which typically treat chronic conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis, in its collection. They are high-cost self-administered, injectable or oral medications that may require clinical training for the administrator, the website states.
“Specialty drugs are essential for a lot of our beneficiaries,” Cmdr. Teisha Robertson, who heads up the U.S. Public Health Service, said in a Tricare news release Feb. 6. “These updates to Tricare’s pharmacy network will give military families with complex and chronic health conditions more support in managing their drugs.”
Those who obtain their specialty drugs from Accredo also receive personalized clinical services for complex and chronic conditions through Therapeutic Resource Centers, managed by the pharmacy, Graves said.
Approximately 45,500 beneficiaries transitioned to home delivery once Accredo became part of Tricare Home Delivery on March 1, he said. Patients with active refills for a specialty medication were automatically transferred from Express Scripts to Accredo for those drugs.
“This automatic and seamless transition to Accredo minimized the risk of missed therapy for beneficiaries taking specialty medications to manage chronic and complex conditions,” he said.
