Arizona county teams up with Walgreens to reduce drug costs

DEERFIELD, Ill. A county in Arizona has reduced prescription drug costs for its government workers through a partnership with Walgreens Health Initiatives.

Maricopa County, home to the city of Phoenix and one of the country’s fastest-growing urban regions, lowered prescription drug costs for employees by 2.44 percent by working with the pharmacy benefit manager in 2007, Walgreens announced Tuesday.

It accomplished this by, among other strategies, encouraging employees to use generic medications whenever they could. According to IMS Health data, the county’s generic dispensing rate for 2007 exceeded the national average.

Maricopa County’s benefit won two awards in 2007, from the National Association of Counties and the Arizona Quality Alliance.

“We’re proud of our ability to successfully balance plan savings with member care and satisfaction, not only for Maricopa County, but for more than 9 million covered lives nationwide,” said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens Health Initiatives’ executive vice president.