Analysis on current situation and the stakeholder's attitude of PBM pilot in China :A case in Wuhu city of Anhui province / 中国卫生政策研究

ABSTRACT

Objective:To understand the present situation, operation mode, stakeholder's attitude, preliminary results and problems in Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) from pilot areas in China, and put forward corresponding suggestions. Methods:In this paper, we carried out an analysis of introduced PBM model after reviewing the existing literature, conducting interviews with key person in the pilot areas and process observation. Moreover, we combined all of the methods and techniques with quantitative analysis in order to find promising results. Results:We constructed a PBM model based on the information provided by the analysis mainly carried out in the piloting community health service centers. After launching the model, the number of drugs increased, the number of outpatients doubled, and the program was widely praised by the patients who joined it. To a certain extent, with the introduction of PBM model, patients with chronic diseases returned to the grassroots level and promoted the development of basic public health services. On the contrast, stakeholders showed different attitudes towards the program, and this inconsistency greatly affected its development through many factors. PBM promoted the management of chronic diseases and tiered care system in pilot areas, but some problems are still there. Conclusions:To a certain limit, PBM can improve the accessibility of drugs in primary health service centers and promote the management of chronic disease and separation of clinics from pharmacies. With the gradual elimination of drug-supporting medical system and the deepening of health insurance reform, PBM may play its positive role in improving service quality and controlling medical expenses. However, its long-term effect requires more follow-up studies,