As we await the transition to a new administration in the White House, several topics come to the forefront of people’s minds. Healthcare changes are probably a top contender. With the question, ‘Why does getting the medications I need at affordable prices have to be so complicated?’ reverberating in your mind. About fifteen years ago, pharmacist Mark Wright got fed up seeing how much paying the ‘middleman’ affected prescription drug prices and decided to do something about it.
After 32 years as a pharmacist, Wright figured out the patient would be better served with a more straightforward system. He devised a plan that cut out third parties such as insurance companies that always seemed to muddy the waters and drive prices sky-high. Wright knew this free-market solution that included just the doctor, pharmacist, and patient would empower the doctors and focus on patient care, not costs.
After three years of careful preparation, Wright launched the first GenScripts, opening in midtown Tulsa in 2006. Since this initial opening, the team at GenScripts has focused on free-market principles with transparent pricing based on actual costs, not what the insurance companies dictate. Their mission now is the same as it was back in the beginning. They strive to provide patients with quality prescriptions at affordable prices, but that’s not all. GenScripts also offers personal counsel to patients on saving money while assisting them in carrying out their doctor’s treatment plan. This involvement means the pharmacists at GenScripts actively participate in the patient’s treatment and recovery as another source of information and care.
One service some people might think is similar to GenScripts is GoodRx. However, Andrew Dargan, the company’s Chief Information Officer, says GenScripts and GoodRx have one huge difference that the public needs to know. Dargan explains, “Discount drug cards like GoodRx are considered ‘direct to consumer’ and therefore are not bound by HIPAA, patient privacy regulations. This means they can sell specific patient prescription drug information to outside firms. We are bound by law to protect patient health information. Even beyond HIPAA regulation, no information, whether in aggregate or patient-specific, is ever sold to third parties,” he added.
Dargan says GenScripts also conducts business much differently than chain pharmacies. These types of stores allow their high drug prices to be dictated by third party contacts with PBMs and insurance companies. Dargan adds that chain pharmacies are also bound by the third-party regulations affecting drug formularies, patient supply limitations, and prior authorization delays. “We do not contract with PBMs or payors and are therefore not bound by such restrictions. This also frees us up to provide very low costs for the same medications,” says Dargan. And physicians prefer the GenScripts method, too. Dargan explains that GenScript’s business model enhances compliance for their patients and eliminates the usual hassles the doctors experience trying to get their patients started on treatment regimens.
If it’s experience you are looking for, GenScripts has that, too. They have eight pharmacists, each with a minimum of five years of professional education and a combined 143 years of pharmacist experience. Additionally, GenScripts is a member of the Oklahoma Pharmacist Association and National Community Pharmacist Association.
The Tulsa community also recognizes GenScripts as a stand-out business that gives back to the community. For ten years, they have donated monthly to local charities and ministries, including Contact Mission Christmas Store, Family & Children Services, the Shriners, and Loaves & Fishes. GenScripts has also been recognized for their consistent participation in local toy and blanket drives.
As 2020 comes to a close, GenScripts is working hard to extend its reach to help as many people as possible get the prescriptions they need at a fair and reasonable price. With a new year comes new goals, and the team at GenScripts say they have their sights set on opening their first stores in new markets in 2021 — Oklahoma City and Orlando.
As one of the only pharmacies in the country that cuts out the price inflating insurance companies and PBMs, Gen Scripts strives to be the experts in providing safe, low-cost prescription drugs. By providing customers with the medications they need at 70% – 80% reduced pricing, GenScripts is well on their way to meeting their long term goal of being a multi-state pharmacy group.
For more information visit https://genscripts.com/
