Consumer and Pharmacist Attitudes Toward a Pharmaceutical Services Benefit for State University System Employees

A mail survey regarding a new prescription plan was conducted among 510 randomly selected university system employees and retirees and among 138 pharmacies serving these enrollees. Return rates of 63% and 56% were attained, respectively. Enrollees selected pharmacies based upon convenience, price, and pharmacist services; only 16% tried the mail-order option. Enrollees were happier with the new pharmacy benefit than with the previous plan, despite pharmacist perceptions that patients were less satisfied. Pharmacists were less satisfied with the university plan than with Medicaid or other third-party prescription programs, these differences being more pronounced in rural communities than in urban areas.