Insurance committee recommends county pursue CDPHP pharmacy-concierge program

The Columbia County Insurance Committee voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors consider contracting with CDPHP for a pharmacy-concierge program aimed at reducing prescription costs for the county’s self‑funded plan.

The staff member who presented the proposal said the vendor’s model places pharmacists to work directly with patients’ medical providers — not retail pharmacies — to identify clinically appropriate, lower‑cost alternatives. "So looking at 1,229 members at a dollar 75 PMPM, we were looking at, an annual cost of $25,809," the staff member said, describing the vendor charge and the committee’s membership base. The packet also included a vendor estimate of potential maximum savings (presented to the committee as about $103,000), and staff said the vendor guarantees to return at least the administrative fee if savings fall short.

Committee members pressed staff on safeguards and patient choice. One member said, "I just don't want it to feel that way for our employees," expressing concern about employees being switched for cost reasons; staff replied that prescribing decisions remain with the physician and that the vendor would only initiate provider‑level conversations. Staff also offered to request historical examples and success metrics from CDPHP to show how the program performed for other groups and to supply ongoing reports on outreach contacts and outcomes.

After discussion the committee approved a motion to recommend that county staff present the CDPHP pharmacy-concierge contract to the Columbia County Board of Supervisors for approval. The committee recorded the motion, a second and a voice vote in favor.