Aetna Brings Mail-Order Rx In-House With Acquisition Of Eckerd Facility

Aetna will handle all mail-order prescriptions for its members through a facility purchased from Eckerd.

The healthcare insurance company said the Kansas City, Mo. mail-order pharmacy is expected to handle prescriptions for all of Aetna's 8.2 mil. members for which it provides a pharmacy benefit.

Aetna did not previously have a mail-order facility, although it runs its own pharmacy benefit management service with a retail pharmacy network. The company's primary mail-order prescription provider is Express Scripts; that relationship will be phased out over the next few months as Aetna moves mail-order scripts to the Kansas City facility.

"Migration for Aetna's fully insured customers from their current mail-order pharmacy vendor to Aetna's new facility will begin early next year," the company said. Acquisition of the Eckerd facility is expected to close in early 2003.

Of the 55.4 mil. scripts filled by Aetna members from January through September 2002, about 6.3%, or 3.5 mil., were filled by mail. Aetna said it expects the percentage of scripts filled by mail to increase.

The acquisition of the mail-order pharmacy is the result of a recent review of Aetna's strategic options for its pharmacy business. In October, the insurer announced it "intends to retain its pharmacy operation in-house and expand existing clinical and sales capabilities."

The company noted at the time that it would "need to strengthen some areas, such as sales and marketing, clinical programs and our mail-order capability."

Aetna said adding mail-order capability will give the company "key competitive advantages," including "more effective medical cost control through better integration of capabilities; better alignment with customer objectives; and the ability to capitalize on future shifts in the pharmacy marketplace."

Eckerd still has two mail-order pharmacies, in Pittsburgh and in Clearwater, Fla. The chain drug store, which also runs its own PBM, said it expects its mail-order business to continue growing.