How Do The Big PBMs Grow?


  10. Navigation.  The most used benefit is pharmacy.  Today, consumers touch the healthcare system most frequently through retail and their daily prescriptions.  With the ongoing complication of the health benefits, there is a huge need for navigators (and not just in the use of the term).  Think about companies like Health Advocate or Accolade.



4 Responses to “How Do The Big PBMs Grow?”

  1. George – Wall Street of course will continue to command for growth, and PBM’s CEO’s need to continue to evolve their strategies to meet these expectations, but I think the latest round of acquisitions have caused tremendous problems and rumblings from their current client bases.

    What are the risks that you see in taking their eye away from their core competencies of providing PBM services to their current customers vs. focusing on some of these new opportunities? Or is it time for the PBM’s to again focus on increasing customer satisfaction from the client basis for the current services offering before trying to offer additional services?

  2. Interesting article, but I think misses the obvious. PBM’s serve employers and plans with a highly effective benefit management platform. It happens to be concentrated on pharmacy. There are several new and interesting market developments that will catch their eye…namely Wellness/Engagement/Behavior change; compliance/adherence to medications and other things that will tie back to the core health benefit of individual employees. The PBMs are ideally suited to take on this task as they have so much technical experience in making this work from the top down to the level of the individual.

    • I agree. They have been successful with employers and plans. The question is what next. Growth has happened by moving into new markets doing the same thing and market consolidation. There’s not much left there.

      They’ll have to find an adjunct space. They need show billion dollar leaps in growth. That will only come through acquisition. So, who do they acquire and how does that complement their core competencies?


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