FTC gives green light to 'OPEN' pharmacy network - Brief Article

The Federal Trade Commission said a new pharmacy network in Southern California passed antitrust muster. The Orange (Orange County) Pharmacy Equitable Network is composed of prescribing physicians, dispensing pharmacies (independents only) and disease management pharmacists. OPEN will sign contracts with HMOs or perhaps physician groups. Pharmacists would get a fee-for-service payment for the face-to-face with a customer, plus a second payment from a risk pool, which would be composed of withholds from fees for drug product dispensing and savings from "avoided" drug and medical costs. The FTC said that as far as it knows, this kind of arrangement has not been tried anywhere in the United States.

In his letter to OPEN, Richard Feinstein, assistant director for health-care services and products at the FTC, noted OPEN was cleared to operate. However, he added, "This conclusion would not necessarily apply if OPEN were to include other pharmacies, such as chain drug stores or supermarket pharmacies, in the network."

COPYRIGHT 1999 Lebhar-Friedman, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group