Walker Pharmacy earns Pathway to Medicare Award

Walker Pharmacy of Sterling has been recognized as one of 300 locally owned pharmacies that go above and beyond to ensure that their Medicare patients enroll in the plan that best fits their needs and budget.

That recognition came this week from FDS Amplicare and HealthPlanOne in the form of the first Pathway to Medicare Award program.

HealthPlanOne is a web-based health insurance brokerage focused on marketing individual and family health insurance. FDS Amplicare provides computer software for pharmacies.

According to Kaiser Family Foundation, there are more than 61 million Medicare enrollees in the United States, and many are confused by the complex experience of selecting a Medicare plan that meets their financial and health needs. Each year enrollees often turn to their local community pharmacy for assistance. With tools like Match, FDS Amplicare's Medicare plan comparison tool, and HealthPlanOne's enrollment support, community pharmacists are helping older adults and other Medicare-eligible patients to make important Medicare plan decisions.

Pharmacies like Walker provide trained staff members who can compare a variety of options for Medicare enrollees to help them quickly made important decisions about their pharmaceutical plans. Paul Stanco, SVP, Product & Partnerships at HealthPlanOne said this service helps take the confusion out of the annual enrollment period.

"At HealthPlanOne, our customers are like family, and we take pride in supporting each and every one," Stanco said. "These pharmacies and their staffs reflect our values and ensure that their Medicare patients are taken care of by providing them support and resources to evaluate plan options that best fit their budget and personal needs."

Nathan Shanor, VP, General Manager at FDS Amplicare, said that without the assistance of these pharmacies, it is unclear how many patients would ever obtain the proper coverage.

"Our goal with the Pathway to Medicare Award is to shine a light on the great work community pharmacies do to help patients navigate difficult decisions, treating each with the care they deserve. Our pharmacies secure patient retention by ensuring patient satisfaction, which is key to their business."

Award winners were determined using a formula that measured the ratio of Medicare-eligible patients a pharmacy assisted with healthcare plan selection during the Annual Enrollment Period, to the total number of Medicare-eligible patients for that pharmacy.